(RNN) – Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. refused to raise bond for George Zimmerman at a hearing held Friday, despite being made aware that Zimmerman had more than $200,000 in an account set up for his legal defense.
Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's defense attorney, said Zimmerman at one time had more than $204,000 in a PayPal account that was administered through the website TheRealGeorgeZimmerman.com and that there was still money coming in. There was another $700 in a separate account set up in Zimmerman's name, O'Mara said.
Prosecutor Bernie De La Rionda made the request to raise bond, citing the defendant's change in circumstance.
"I'm not going to make a snap decision," Lester said. "I can't do it without the facts. I don't have the facts right now."
Lester said before making the decision to change the bond, he would first need to know who created the account, who administered it, when the payments were made and if Zimmerman had direct access to it.
Without those details, he said, he had no authority to raise or revoke bail.
The site went live April 10, and it solicited funds to help Zimmerman with his legal fees. It was taken down earlier this week.
O'Mara claimed that at the time of the hearing Zimmerman had told him he was broke, but explained to CNN's Anderson Cooper that he found out about the money when trying to shut down "his full internet presence because of some impersonators and other problems with Twitter and Facebook."
"He asked me what to do with his PayPal accounts. And I asked him what he was talking about," O'Mara said. "And he said those were the accounts that had the money from the website he had, and that there was about $200,000, $204,000 that had come in to date."
Lester also denied a request from both sides for a gag order and to seal court files, indicating that it was too early in the process to take such action.
"Up to this point in time, I think the state and defense have conducted themselves absolutely appropriately," Lester said. "An analogy to a baseball game, I think we're just getting ready to sing the national anthem. We still have time to go get a hot dog from the concession stand."
Zimmerman walked out of a Seminole County, FL, jail after raising just 10 percent of his $150,000 bond around midnight Monday.
Benjamin Crump, the Martin family's attorney, didn't see this as just a simple misunderstanding.
"If his testimony at the bond hearing is any indication of what is to come, then the lying has already begun," Crump said. "They tried to portray themselves as indigent - that they did not have any money. We think the court should revoke his bond immediately, and he should be held accountable for misleading the court."
Many on-air commentators have chimed in on the new development in an ever-twisting case, questioning whether Zimmerman family members perjured themselves when they testified about the family's lack of funds.
The question of perjury implies that the very people entrusted with ensuring Zimmerman follows his bond restrictions may not be worthy of the court's trust.
"I know a lot of judges who would remand the guy back into custody immediately," said Mark Geragos, a criminal defense attorney, in an interview with CNN. "And I'll tell you why - because one of the things is that they want to make sure somebody's not going to flee and the bond secures."
"I have created a PayPal account solely linked on this website as I would like to provide an avenue to thank my supporters personally and ensure that any funds provided are used only for living expenses and legal defense, in lieu of my forced inability to maintain employment. I will also personally, maintain accountability of all funds received," the site read.
Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Martin, 17.
Prosecutors allege Zimmerman "profiled" and followed Martin, according to the affidavit. They say he confronted Martin, and "a struggle ensued" before Zimmerman shot the teen in the chest.
Zimmerman claims he shot Martin in self-defense after the teen confronted him and the two got into a scuffle.
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O'Mara revealed his client had more than $200,00 in a legal defense fund. (Source: CNN)
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