In New York State, Criminal Defendants can assign their bail to their defense attorney – or for that matter anyone else. This is especially helpful for defendants who have exhausted their financial resources to secure their temporary release pending trial. The individual who posted the cash bail on the defendants behalf (commonly known as the surety) has the right to receive the money that they posted once the case is finished. They also have the right to assign it to someone else. They can assign all, or just part of the funds to someone else.
To assign bail to your criminal defense attorney; the following steps need to be taken:
- The surety needs to provide the criminal defense attorney with the original bail receipt.
- The surety needs to fill out completely a bail assignment application, and sign it in front of a notary.
- The surety needs to provide the criminal defense attorney with copies of two forms of identification; valid NYS drivers license or out of state license or non driver ID, passport, ATM Bank/Credit Card, voters reigstration ID, employment ID, NYC library card or utility bill. Note – one form of ID must have a photo.
- The criminal defense attorney then must submit a signed letter on his or her letterhad stating that they represent the defendant
The above documents must be brought or sent to:
NYC Department of Finance
Client Services
1 Centre Street, Room 2200
New York, NY 10007
For more information on the process, please contact the NYC Department of Finance at 212-669-2879 or visit them online at:
If you or are a loved one needs the service of a criminal defense law law firm please contact us at 212-748-9243. Our phones are answered live 24/7.