Earlier today, James O'Keefe whined about “fraud and corruption and waste” at the U.S. Census Bureau, which he purported to highlight by showing his latest selectively edited video, this one documenting snippets of his two days working for the Census. O'Keefe might instead ponder the $34,000 in costs to the criminal justice system for placing four conservative activists on probation for a combined nine years after they pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charges of entering federal property under false pretenses -- to say nothing of the additional costs to law enforcement for investigating and prosecuting the case.

O'Keefe took to Good Morning America to discuss his latest Big Collaboration with Andrew Breitbart:

Speaking of “fraud” and “waste,” in January, O'Keefe and three men entered the Hale Boggs federal building in New Orleans, Louisiana, under false pretenses. Last week, they pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges. O'Keefe received three years probation and was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine; the other men each received two years of probation and $1,500 fines. During his Good Morning America appearance, O'Keefe balked at whether he regretted his actions, but he has yet to address whether he regrets the “waste” to taxpayers for the investigation and prosecution of his actions.

For example, in 2009, one year of probation cost $3,808, officials with the U.S. Courts estimate:

So over three years, the cost of O'Keefe's probation alone adds up to $11,423. All told, nine years of probation will cost more than $34,000, to say nothing of the cost of investigating and prosecuting the case.