BOSTON (
MyFoxBoston.com) -- It could take years before taxpayers find out how much they're paying for convicted terrorist Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's high profile legal defense team.
FOX25's Sharman Sacchetti asked the federal court what his lawyers are charging the public.
After citing the death penalty statute, a federal court spokeswoman told Sacchetti, "disclosures will not be made until after the entry of judgment and the disposition of any post-trial motions."
That means while the judge could choose to release it, he doesn't have to, until all of Tsarnaev's legal challenges in the trial court are exhausted.
"I think people have a right to know," said Greg Sullivan, research director at the Pioneer Institute.
When asked why that's important, he replied, "I think they want to know. And that's why it's important. They're paying!"
Sullivan, who is also a former state inspector general, says the law is the law, but taxpayers deserve to know sooner rather than later.
"If you're being asked to pay for that don't you really feel you should be able to find out how much it really added up to?"
When Sacchetti asked Boston attorney Peter Elikann why shouldn't taxpayers be able to know, he told us, "They will be able to find out but there's certain reasons why. You want to have attorney-client privilege, effective assistance of counsel, you want to be concerned about safety of people including counsel."
He says what's important is Tsarnaev got a fair trial.
"this is what makes the U.S. different from other countries, where they don't just grab somebody point the finger at them lock them up and give them the death penalty."
It's not just the defense team's bill; FOX25 is also looking to find out what you paid for all that security, and how much it actually cost to bring Tsarnaev's family members here from Russia to stay for a week so they could testify on his behalf.
Sacchetti did reach out to Tsarnaev's attorney, Judy Clarke, as well as the federal public defender's office, but they never responded.
(AP Photo/Jane Flavell Collins)
