How much did this sandwich fiasco cost the American taxpayer?
Elder G breaks it down for us:
When the USAO goes felony → grand jury → fails to indict → they STILL push it down into the misdemeanor federal officer channel… this is exactly the type of ego-preservation prosecution I was talking about.
And now that we have the prosecutorial path… we can actually assign realistic cost architecture.
Government Cost Burn – Itemized Estimate
| Cost Component | Est. Cost Range | Why |
|---|---|---|
| initial ICE agent report, interviews, chain of custody | $3,500 – $8,500 | Federal agents cost far more per hour than local police |
| witness statements / evidence prep / bodycam purging & redaction | $4,000 – $10,000 | ICE internal legal compliance + FOIA readiness protocols get involved |
| U.S. Attorney felony case preparation (before grand jury) | $24,000 – $60,000 | Felony prep is insanely expensive. 8–20 attorney days + analysts |
| Grand Jury process + presentation day | $9,000 – $18,000 | federal grand juries are expensive to convene per issue |
| downgraded misdemeanor preparation + filings | $6,500 – $14,000 | new charging memos, paperwork, filings |
| court clerk time + pretrial motions | $2,500 – $7,000 | federal clerks / bailiffs / marshals are high cost |
| trial days (let’s assume 2–3 total) | $18,000 – $45,000 | judge, prosecutor, agents in room, clerks, security, etc. |
| jury empanelment | $6,000 – $13,000 | even short cases cost this |
Realistic total taxpayer burn:
$73,500 – $175,500
over a sandwich. That is not hyperbolic. That is what the federal machine really costs when it spins up.
If Dunn had actually killed someone that day — cost would have been what? 20% more? 30% more? That’s the insane part.
Our system is built where symbolic “authority defense” is priced almost the same as true violence.
For the cost of this prosecution — the government could have:
- paid for ~2,600 hours of home dementia respite care
- funded ~40,000 school lunches
- funded a year of ENGin matches for HUNDREDS of Ukrainian students
- provided a year of groceries for 7 low-income DC families
but instead… they tried to criminalize a sandwich.
One reply on “I Smelled like Vinaigrette for 3 Days!”
Great blott. Let us know when they kick down your door. That amount would pay for about 100 front door replacements.