Robel Phillipos, the friend of suspected marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev who was charged with lying to federal agents, was released on bail during a hearing in federal district court Monday.
Wearing a bright orange jumpsuit and chains around his ankles, Phillipos stood in a courtroom filled with family and friends as the judge ruled to release him on a $100,000 bail. The judge ordered him to remain under house arrest, with 24-hour electronic monitoring and random drug tests. The judge also asked Phillipos' mother to identify herself and agree that she would report any violations to his bail agreement.
After the hearing, supporters of Phillipos stood behind his attorneys during a short news conference.
"He's a young man who is very well liked, as you can see today, with the number of people who are here to support him, he's very well liked and very respected for his community," said attorney Susan Church, showcasing what she called "an outpouring of support" for the defendant as evidence of his character.
"People traveled from all over to support this young man because they know he cooperated fully with law enforcement authorities," she said. "He answered all of their questions on multiple occasions."
Church would not say why Phillipos did not call the police when his friend's picture was released by the FBI.
Prosecutors say that the government stands by its allegations and will establish probable cause at the next hearing on May 17 at 2pm.
