By Debbie Schlussel

****  SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE  ****

Florida is one of the states in the Union with the largest Jewish concentrations.  So, it’s ironic to me that on the eve of Chanukah (which starts tonight at sundown–more on that later), they and other Florida taxpayers–most of whom I believe would be disgusted by this guy–are paying for this absurdity:

John Allen Ditullio is a walking billboard for the neo-Nazi movement: a large 6-inch swastika tattooed under his right ear, barbed wire inked down the right side of his face, and an extreme and very personal vulgarity scrawled on one side of his neck.

Jurors will never see any of it. A judge has ruled that the state must pay a cosmetologist up to $150 a day during Ditullio’s trial on murder and attempted murder charges and apply makeup to cover up the black ink.

Geez, where are the Maccabees when you need ’em? Not in Judge Michael Andrews’ courtroom.

Judge Michael Andrews, acting on a request by Ditullio’s lawyer, ruled that the tattoos are potentially offensive and could influence a jury’s opinion in the state’s death penalty case against the 23-year-old accused of donning a gas mask, breaking into a neighbor’s home and stabbing two people, killing one of them.

Since his arrest in the March 26, 2006, crime in this suburban county just north of Tampa, the self-described neo-Nazi has added tattoos to his body that are prominently displayed and not easily concealed. Ditullio doesn’t have the money to pay to have the tattoos covered up, said his public defender, Bjorn Brunvand, who was worried that a jury might be biased against his client on the basis of the tattoos alone.

Hmmm . . . he had the money to pay for the tattoos. But taxpayers have to fund the bill for his lawyer and the “cover up.”

Any tattoos Ditullio had before his arrest won’t be covered, such as a small cross under his right eye. Earlier this week, he wore a neatly pressed blue shirt and gray slacks yet several tattoos on his hands and wrists were still visible.

Um, who gives a crap that he wore neatly pressed clothes? Reminds me of how reporters recently gushed over an Islamic terrorists’ “striking” looks and an Islamic female honor killer’s “pretty, petite” looks.

Prosecutors allege that Ditullio broke into his neighbor’s home and stabbed two people — injuring 44-year-old Patricia Wells, the home’s owner, and killing Kristofer King, a 17-year-old visitor and friend of Wells’ son.

Wells lived next door to a mobile home that was commonly known as “the Nazi compound,” which had large swastika flags flying on the property, authorities said. Ditullio was arrested at the mobile home after a SWAT standoff.

Authorities called the stabbings a hate crime, and Wells agreed, previously telling local media that she believed Ditullio attacked her because she had a black friend — and because her own son was gay and Ditullio may have mistaken King for her son. . . .

In 2007, while awaiting trial in the Pasco County Jail, Ditullio was charged with attempted escape; authorities found smuggled saw blades, sheets made into a rope and a hole sawed into the stainless steel toilet inside Ditullio’s cell. . . .

Covering tattoos for a trial is rare, said Michael Siegel, professor of law at the University of Florida, especially in a case like this when the content of the tattoos — neo-Nazi symbols — mesh with the facts of the case.

“The defendant did initially make the choice to communicate to the world through the tattoos on his body,” said Siegel. “Now he’s asking for protection from his own decisions.”

Siegel said he believes the judge was trying to be “conservative” in his judgment in case the trial results are appealed.

“Judges bend over backwards to be fair,” said Siegel. “It’s human nature when you’re a judge.”

Yup, can’t wait for the KSM trial. What could go wrong?

**** UPDATE: Reader Ari, a lawyer, writes:

Hmmm . . . he had the money to pay for the tattoos. But taxpayers have to fund the bill for his lawyer and the “cover up.”

Do you think he paid for those tattoos with money? They look to me like prison ugly. After all, they’re all black, no color. I would have to take a closer look, but I bet that’s what those are. He probably paid his tattoo “artist” a pack of cigarettes and a night with his prison bitch.

I have no idea why they need a cosmetologist to cover up those tattoos. I don’t see why they can’t just get him to apply his own damn makeup like any self respecting tranny.

P.S. I had a client with a tattoo problem. But he refused to wear long sleeves at his trial (much less cover up the tattoos). He wouldn’t even wear the suit I brought (from the Public Defender’s office) for him. He was already serving a life sentence, so our trial did’nt matter much anyway. But it was tough convincing the jury he wasn’t an outlaw because he had the word “OUTLAW” tattooed on his hands.