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Feds Paid Witness Against Tsarnaev Friend

Federal prosecutors say in a court filing that a cooperating witness in a drug and gun case against a friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been paid more than $66,000 for help in the friend's case and others.

Twenty-one-year-old Stephen Silva has pleaded not guilty to trafficking heroin and possessing an illegal handgun. He is not charged with having anything to do with the bombings that killed three people and injured more than 260.

Authorities have said they believe Silva had a gun Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan used to kill Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier during a manhunt after the bombings.

The filing Wednesday outlining evidence for the defense says the unidentified witness allegedly bought drugs from Silva and was paid for other services and expenses including relocation.

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