Judge orders Paul Ceglia to pay Facebook nearly $90,000 in fees

Paul Ceglia, the New York man who has become famous for suing Facebook, must reimburse Facebook for nearly $90,000 in attorney fees, a judge ruled Thursday.

U.S. Magistrate Leslie Foschio ordered Ceglia to pay Facebook for depositions canceled at the last minute. Ceglia must also reimburse nearly $7,000 to Facebook’s experts for travel and lodging expenses.

Ceglia’s attorney, Dean Boland, who asked to withdraw from the case could not be immediately reached for comment. A Facebook spokesman declined to comment.

Ceglia pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that he doctored and destroyed evidence in the lawsuit against Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg in a hearing Wednesday in Manhattan federal court.

A federal grand jury indicted Ceglia on charges of mail fraud and wire fraud. Each of the charges carries a maximum of 20 years in prison if he is convicted. Ceglia claims a 2003 contract entitles him to half of Zuckerberg’s stake in Facebook.

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