[fennecfoxen]

Accused may not mean convicted, but it probably does mean a year in jail awaiting trial, and at trial, and paying for a lawyer that costs tens of thousands of dollars, maybe hundreds of thousands.

They don't give you back your lawyer money if you're found innocent. They don't give you back any job that you may have lost, and they certainly don't give you back the money you would have earned during that time.

[tptacek]

He got $30k in bail, the equivalent of a $3k bond if he doesn't just pay it directly himself. The $30k is returned whether or not he's found guilty: it ensures only his appearance in court.

[paulddraper]

> a year in jail awaiting trial

Only in the most exceptional cases is someone held without bail.

> They don't give you back your lawyer money if you're found innocent.

Federal courts can award legal costs "where the court finds that the position of the United States was 'vexatious, frivolous, or in bad faith.'" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Amendment_(1997)

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But yes, your broader point is correct that it's certain to be a very bad experience.