Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: WHAT IS THE JAA APPELLATE FUND?
A1: THE JAA APPELLATE FUND is an irrevocable gift trust into which money is deposited as a donation (or gift) for the express purpose of paying for the legal costs associated with appealing Jodi Arias’s wrongful conviction and for her future legal defense. These costs may include attorney fees, investigation, experts, mitigation, and court filing fees.
Q2: DON’T THE ARIZONA TAXPAYERS HAVE TO PAY FOR JODI’S APPEALS?
A2: Since Jodi was sentenced to life imprisonment, not death, taxpayers will fund very little. She will be assigned a public defender for her direct appeal, and if her conviction is upheld (nearly all convictions are upheld on direct appeal), then post-conviction relief (PCR) proceedings begin. Few appellants are granted a hearing at the PCR stage, and of those few, fewer still ever manage to get their convictions overturned. If the public defender can manage to get Jodi a hearing during PCR, she will be back in the same courtroom with the same trial judge and the same prosecutor. Only the public defender will be new (and thus at a disadvantage). The Honorable Sherry Stephens will be the one deciding whether to uphold Jodi’s conviction. Arizona taxpayers will not pay for anything beyond PCR proceedings. If her conviction is upheld, Jodi and her public defender will part ways, and Jodi will go back to prison for the rest of her life – unless the JAA Appellate Fund has enough money to hire a private attorney to pursue further appeals on both state and federal levels.
Q3: IS THE TRUST MONEY VULNERABLE TO CONFISCATION BY THE ALEXANDERS OR THE STATE?
A3: No. The Alexander-family attorney has publicly announced to the media that the Alexanders will be suing Jodi. A wrongful-death lawsuit is a vehicle by which the Alexanders will seek to get as much money as they can from Jodi. The money in the JAA Appellate Fund does not belong to Jodi. The trust is not in her name, she does not control it, and she does not have access to it. In the state of Arizona, attorneys for the state may also try to take any money from Jodi. But again, the JAA Appellate Fund does not contain any money belonging to her. The trust was carefully structured so that the funds may only be distributed for the purposes for which it was created – legal defense and appellate costs. The money cannot be taken out for any other reason, including restitution.
Click the Donate button below to make a MONTHLY RECURRING donation (or a one-time donation) to the JAA Appellate Fund – safely & securely via PayPal:
Q4: CAN I GET MY MONEY BACK?
A4: No. The trust is irrevocable, meaning that once money is put into it, it can never be taken out except for the purposes for which the trust was established (legal defense and appellate costs).
Q5: CAN I WRITE OFF MY CONTRIBUTION ON MY TAXES?
A5: No. Any contribution to a gift trust is considered a gift and is not tax-deductible.
Q6: HOW MUCH NEEDS TO BE RAISED?
A6: Most attorneys’ retainers for a case like Jodi’s are $250,000. The figure of $150,000 has been mentioned, but that is a typical retainer for a case like Jodi’s before conviction, when trial preparation and trial itself are the two overarching factors that drive up the legal bill. Now, however, added to that is the appeals process, which involves extensive legal research, motion writing, and additional investigation.
Q7: HOW MUCH HAS BEEN RAISED SO FAR?
A7: Regular updates will be announced on this website. This will be a rounded-off figure representing what is in the fund and is not exact to the penny.
Q8: WHY ISN’T THE BANK THAT HOLDS THE TRUST ACCOUNT LISTED ON THIS SITE?
A8: Initially, the financial institution and account number were listed on this site, but so many phone calls were received that it became a distraction to the bank employees. So this information was removed. Please note that many organizations which collect donations, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Feed the Children, and American Red Cross, do not provide their bank information either.
Click the Donate button below to make a MONTHLY RECURRING donation (or a one-time donation) to the JAA Appellate Fund – safely & securely via PayPal:
Q9: WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MONEY IF APPEALS ARE NOT PURSUED OR IF THERE IS MONEY LEFT OVER AFTERWARD?
A9: First, appeals will be pursued — until they are exhausted, if necessary. Second, given that Jodi’s legal defense fees cost taxpayers over $3 million the first time around, it is unlikely that there will be any money in the fund remaining. However, on the off-chance that there is, it will be split down the middle and given to two nonprofit organizations. One helps disabled children, and one is a no-kill animal sanctuary. These instructions are built into the trust.
Q10: WHY AREN’T THE CHARITIES MENTIONED ABOVE NAMED ON THIS SITE?
A10: For the same reason bank information is not listed: The nonprofit charities are not named here to protect them from undue attention. In the event that any monies from the JAA Appellate Fund are donated to these charities, their identities and the donation amounts will then be announced on this website.
Q11: WHO IS THE TRUSTEE?
A11: The trustee is Sue Halterman, Jodi’s aunt. She had an attorney structure the trust so that not even she may use any of the funds for herself. Despite both her attorney and her tax consultant’s advising her to take a monthly trustee fee from the trust, she refused this option. In the event that she no longer wishes to be trustee, successor trustees are in place.
Q12: WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A PAYPAL ACCOUNT? CAN I SEND YOU A CHECK OR MONEY ORDER?
A12: You may send a check or money order, payable in US dollars, to:
JAA Appellate Fund
PO Box 1381
Moline, IL 61266-1381
Q13: IS THE JAA APPELLATE FUND SITE JUSTICE4JODI.COM ASSOCIATED WITH THE SITE CALLED JUSTICE4JODIARIAS.COM?
A13: No! As Jodi’s parents explain in the video, the only official website for making donations to the JAA Appellate Fund is justice4jodi.com. Any other website, Facebook page or group purporting to be official is not.
Q14: WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF THE FUND TOTAL DECREASES BEFORE STATE-FUNDED APPEALS ARE EXHAUSTED?
A14: Jodi was appointed public defenders for her initial appeals, but there are other legal matters stemming from her case that are separate yet related. Specifically, there are two main lawyers who engaged in persistent, pervasive misconduct throughout Jodi’s case and ongoing appeals. One, her so-called defense lawyer, was effectively disbarred. The other, a prosecutor-turned-embarrassment-to-the-State-of-Arizona, was disbarred on July 17, 2020 by William J. O’Neil, Presiding Disciplinary Judge of the Arizona Supreme Court.
As you may know, there are attorneys working on Jodi’s behalf to hold these unethical people accountable. It has been an expensive process and a lot has been done, but there is still a long way to go. Although this legal representation is separate from Jodi’s appeals, some of what her non-appellate attorneys have done falls directly under appellate work. These specific hours can be paid by the trust because this is how the trust was structured. The trust cannot pay this hefty legal bill in its entirety, but it can pay a small part of it for the specific appellate work done on Jodi’s behalf. The above is another reason we must continue to donate so we can help get JUSTICE FOR JODI!
Q15: CAN I WRITE JODI A LETTER?
A15: Yes, Jodi loves to receive letters. Send your letters to:
Jodi Arias #281129
ASPC Perryville — Lumley
P.O. Box 3300
Goodyear, AZ 85338
You can also click the Donate button below to make a MONTHLY RECURRING donation (or a one-time donation) to the JAA Appellate Fund – safely & securely via PayPal:
All donations made via this website go directly to the JAA APPELLATE FUND, for assisting with the legal fees associated with appealing Jodi’s wrongful conviction. All donations are confidential. This is the ONLY website authorized to collect donations.
justice4jodi.com 
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