By Barbara Liston
ORLANDO, Fla (Reuters) - Casey Anthony, the young Florida mother acquitted of killing her daughter, was ordered on Thursday to pay almost $100,000 to cover some of the expenses incurred after she falsely claimed 2-year-old Caylee had been kidnapped.
Judge Belvin Perry ruled that Anthony must reimburse $97,676.98 in investigative costs incurred between July 15, 2008, when Anthony first told detectives that her daughter had been kidnapped by a nanny, and September 29, 2008, when detectives determined Caylee likely was dead rather than missing.
Anthony was charged with Caylee's murder and four counts of lying to investigators. In a nationally televised trial this summer, Anthony was acquitted of the murder but found guilty of the lies.
Prosecutors requested she repay $517,000, the full cost several police agencies and the prosecutor's office said was incurred as a result of her lies.
Perry explained why he ordered the lesser payment from Anthony, who is living in an undisclosed location while serving a year of probation for a 2010 check fraud case.
"The state asks the court not to apportion any of the costs because (Anthony's) lies or series of lies are inextricably intertwined with the entire investigation. The state further argues: 'Attempting to prove Ms. Anthony was a murderer proved she was a liar,'" Perry wrote in his order.
But the judge said the defense noted that "testimony provided at the hearing indicated that as of September 30, 2008, there was no longer a missing person investigation but a homicide investigation."
Perry left open the door to increasing the amount Anthony must pay. The judge told the Orange County Sheriff's Office to provide more detail about the work of 30 deputies and employees on the case so the cost of their time and effort may be added to Anthony's bill.
So far, Perry awarded $61,505.12 to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; $10,283.90 to the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation; $25,837.96 to the sheriff's office; and $50 to the State Attorney's Office, the minimum required by statute.
Anthony's lawyer could not be reached for comment.
(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Greg McCune)