Cost of the SP

Less than a week after Scola Special Prosecutor Joseph Gaughan withdrew from the case for health reasons, courthouse watchers are quietly questioning exactly what’s included in his $10,850 of billed labor and expenses.  At face value, it isn’t much.  The issue is that if Gaughan charged $50/hour – an exceptionally conservative estimate – his total hours over the two years since he took the case would come to about 217, or an average of 2 hours a week.  Subtract his expenses, and his actual time spent on the case drops.  It’s hardly a lot of time to be spent on an extensive investigation; to be fair, some observers say conservative billing and efficient investigations could be one rationale.  Additionally, Worcester District Attorney spokesman Tim Connolly says that there is still one bill from Gaughan that hasn’t been submitted to his office.