Many people in the United States may be surprised to learn that the cost of bail can range from just a few dollars, to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and more depending on the crime, priors, as well as numerous other factors. Out of all of the bail amounts that have been set in the United States there are a few cases that stand out. The 5 highest bail amounts ever set in the USA are listed below.
1) Bernie Madoff – $10 million
Responsible for a Ponzi scheme worth up to 50 billion dollars.
2) Michael Sorodsky – $33 million
Accused of sexually abusing his patients while under anesthesia
3) Christopher Williams – $100 million
Flight risk was incredibly high
4) Raj Rajaratnam – $100 million
Alleged roll in securities fraud in New York City
5) Kim Freeman – $1 billion
Accused of running brothels
Courts and judges generally follow a bail schedule to set a bond amount. Bond amounts are determined depending on various factors such as; the type of crime, the flight risk of the individual, and numerous other variables. However, the judge has the authority to set a bond amount at any level at his or her discretion.