In addition to all of the services that CourtScribes offers, interpreters are one that is sometimes looked over. Well, they do in many languages, and for that reason, we found this story interesting as this was a big story.
Itemization forms have been filed by interpreters of Cristhian Rivera for the costs of their services. Rivera is accused of murdering Mollie Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student, while she was on a run in the city of Brooklyn, Iowa.
How Much Was Spent
In July, it was reported that the state of Iowa had paid more than $12,000 to hire an interpreter for Rivera.
The documents stated that Interpreters, Inc. provided the translation services to Rivera. The judge authorized an initial stipend of $8,184 for the services. However, the courts paid $12,485 to Interpreters, Inc. for their services provided up until March 1, 2019.
“For purposes of clarification, it should be noted that [$12,485] is not an additional amount over and above what the Court ordered in its March 1, 2019 Order [$8,184] but rather a total amount for all services provided by Interpreters, Inc. to date,” court documents said.
Services were rendered by a Missouri interpreter for 227 hours.
According to court documents, the standard hourly pay for an oral interpreter is $55.
The state also pays for miles traveled, parking costs and possible other expenses. The travel distance for itemization ranges as far as 100 miles.
Six additional itemization claims have been filed to date. The expenses look as follows:
- $192.50 on Aug. 22, 2018 for approximately three hours of interpreting.
- $522.50 on Sept. 19, 2018 for 9.5 hours of interpreting.
- $55 on Feb. 25, 2019 for one hour of interpreting.
- $165 on March 28, 2019 for approximately three hours of interpreting and 100 miles of travel.
- $319 on July 1, 2019 for approximately six hours of interpreting and about eight miles of travel.
- $143 on Sept. 20, 2019 for approximately 2.5 hours of interpreting and 90 miles of travel.
According to court documents, Rivera had no job. The only monthly payment he recorded was a $270 car payment per month. As a result, the courts found that he was indigent, or poor.
In September 2018, the judge granted Rivera a stipend of $5,000 to hire investigators. In March 2019, he was granted a stipend of $3,200 for an expert. Both costs were “at the public’s expense,” according to court documents
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