NEW YORK – Nearly two thousand donors have raised bail money for a New York City man whose cellphone video captured the fatal police chokehold of unarmed black man Eric Garner last July.
The Daily News reports (http://nydn.us/1CFcDjH) Ramsey Orta was freed after spending two months on Rikers Island following his February arrest on an allegation he sold drugs to undercover officers.
Orta's cellphone footage showed Garner saying "I can't breathe" in a confrontation with a white police officer in Staten Island.
The newspaper says prosecutors told a judge they had to vet donors to Orta's online bail fund to make sure the money wasn't illegally acquired.
The fund raised $47,500 though only $12,000 was needed to secure a bond for Orta's $100,000 bail.
Orta's attorney says the remainder will cover his defense.
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Information from: Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com
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