Ricky Cobb II shooting: How much a D.C. firm will be paid to prosecute Trooper Londregan
D.C. law firm to help prosecute Trooper Londregan
Documents obtained by FOX 9 show how much the Hennepin County's Attorney's Office will be paying Washington D.C. lawfirm, Steptoe, to help prosecute Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan. Londregan is accused of shooting and killing Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop in July 2023.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Hennepin County Attorney's Office will pay an out-of-state law firm $850 an hour to help prosecute Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan.
A contract obtained by FOX 9 on Friday shows the Steptoe Law Firm, out of Washington D.C., can be paid up to $1 million to prosecute Londregan, but leaves the door open for more legal fees in the future.
The contract requires Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty to seek more funding from the Hennepin County Board once legal fees reach $750,000.
The contract also states Steptoe attorneys will have their travel, lodging and meals paid for by the county. The D.C. attorneys cannot be reimbursed for renting a car and, when available, Steptoe will use Metro Transit Light Rail.
Londregan faces several charges, including second-degree unintentional murder for shooting and killing Ricky Cobb II as he tried to speed away during a traffic stop in July 2023.
Moriarty has faced criticism for her handling of the case since charging Londregan earlier this year.
Cobb's family, which has also filed a civil lawsuit, pleaded for criminal charges to be filed.
READ MORE: Ricky Cobb shooting: Family to file lawsuit against Trooper Londregan
Londregan's defense attorneys accused Moriarty of ignoring use of force experts who stated the shooting may have been justified.
The criticism grew louder late last month when Moriarty announced she planned to retain an outside firm to handle the prosecution. Gov. Tim Walz, who says he has been monitoring the controversial case, said Moriarty's decision was not a positive development.
At a board meeting earlier this week, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde asked whether the price tag could end up being even bigger.
"Are we going to get halfway through a case, and you're like, 'okay, we got to have another million?' and would that be something we would approve later?" Lunde asked.
Moriarty did not provide specifics but guaranteed she would be fiscally responsible with the money which would come out of the existing budget.
"If there's work that we can already do with our staff, we will do that to try to cut down costs," Moriarty said.
Moriarty defended her decision to hire the outside law firm, saying it would free her office up to handle a large caseload of other serious cases.
Londregan will be back in court May 15.