Western District of Texas

Financial

Can I petition the Court to assign the bond money I posted in a criminal case over to the defendant's attorney or to another individual?

Assignment of bond funds to the defendant's attorney or to another individual requires an order of the District Court. An application for assignment of cash bail must be submitted. The order for assignment of funds is separate and apart from the order for return of cash bail, so the application for assignment may be submitted any time after the bond is posted. However, the funds will not be considered available for disbursement before either a dismissal of the charges or the delivery of a criminal judgment in the case. At that time, an application for return of cash bail, along with the original receipt must be submitted. Return of the bond funds is subject to the terms of 28 U.S.C. §2044.