Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => News Items => Topic started by: SEKTO on February 15, 2009, 08:20:00 PM
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29142654/?GT1=43001 (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29142654/?GT1=43001)
In one of the most shocking cases of courtroom graft on record, two Pennsylvania judges have been charged with taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to send teenagers to two privately run youth detention centers.
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[msnbc video coverage of this story link HERE (http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/29147796#29147796).]
Pa. judges accused of jailing kids for cash (http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29142654/?GT1=43001)
Judges allegedly took $2.6 million in payoffs to put juveniles in lockups
(http://http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/090211-courthouse-kickbacks-hmed-12p.h2.jpg)
Hillary Transue, who was sentenced to a wilderness camp for building a spoof MySpace page that lampooned her assistant principal in White Haven, Pa., on Friday. Transue says she did not have an attorney, nor was she informed of her right to one, when she was sentenced by Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella. Matt Rourke / AP
Associated Press
updated 8:56 p.m. ET, Wed., Feb. 11, 2009
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - For years, the juvenile court system in Wilkes-Barre operated like a conveyor belt: Youngsters were brought before judges without a lawyer, given hearings that lasted only a minute or two, and then sent off to juvenile prison for months for minor offenses.
The explanation, prosecutors say, was corruption on the bench.
In one of the most shocking cases of courtroom graft on record, two Pennsylvania judges have been charged with taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to send teenagers to two privately run youth detention centers.
"I've never encountered, and I don't think that we will in our lifetimes, a case where literally thousands of kids' lives were just tossed aside in order for a couple of judges to make some money," said Marsha Levick, an attorney with the Philadelphia-based Juvenile Law Center, which is representing hundreds of youths sentenced in Wilkes-Barre.
Prosecutors say Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan took $2.6 million in payoffs to put juvenile offenders in lockups run by PA Child Care LLC and a sister company, Western PA Child Care LLC. The judges were charged on Jan. 26 and removed from the bench by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court shortly afterward.
No company officials have been charged, but the investigation is still going on.
The high court, meanwhile, is looking into whether hundreds or even thousands of sentences should be overturned and the juveniles' records expunged.
Among the offenders were teenagers who were locked up for months for stealing loose change from cars, writing a prank note and possessing drug paraphernalia. Many had never been in trouble before. Some were imprisoned even after probation officers recommended against it.
Many appeared without lawyers, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1967 ruling that children have a constitutional right to counsel.
'I have disgraced my judgeship'
The judges are scheduled to plead guilty to fraud Thursday in federal court. Their plea agreements call for sentences of more than seven years behind bars.
Ciavarella, 58, who presided over Luzerne County's juvenile court for 12 years, acknowledged last week in a letter to his former colleagues, "I have disgraced my judgeship. My actions have destroyed everything I worked to accomplish and I have only myself to blame." Ciavarella, though, has denied he got kickbacks for sending youths to prison.
Conahan, 56, has remained silent about the case.
Many Pennsylvania counties contract with privately run juvenile detention centers, paying them either a fixed overall fee or a certain amount per youth, per day.
In Luzerne County, prosecutors say, Conahan shut down the county-run juvenile prison in 2002 and helped the two companies secure rich contracts worth tens of millions of dollars, at least some of that dependent on how many juveniles were locked up.
One of the contracts — a 20-year agreement with PA Child Care worth an estimated $58 million — was later canceled by the county as exorbitant.
The judges are accused of taking payoffs between 2003 and 2006.
Allegations of extortion
Robert J. Powell co-owned PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care until June. His attorney, Mark Sheppard, said his client was the victim of an extortion scheme.
"Bob Powell never solicited a nickel from these judges and really was a victim of their demands," he said. "These judges made it very plain to Mr. Powell that he was going to be required to pay certain monies."
For years, youth advocacy groups complained that Ciavarella was ridiculously harsh and ran roughshod over youngsters' constitutional rights. Ciavarella sent a quarter of his juvenile defendants to detention centers from 2002 to 2006, compared with a statewide rate of one in 10.
The criminal charges confirmed the advocacy groups' worst suspicions and have called into question all the sentences he pronounced.
Hillary Transue did not have an attorney, nor was she told of her right to one, when she appeared in Ciavarella's courtroom in 2007 for building a MySpace page that lampooned her assistant principal.
Her mother, Laurene Transue, worked for 16 years in the child services department of another county and said she was certain Hillary would get a slap on the wrist. Instead, Ciavarella sentenced her to three months; she got out after a month, with help from a lawyer.
"I felt so disgraced for a while, like, what do people think of me now?" said Hillary, now 17 and a high school senior who plans to become an English teacher.
'I was completely destroyed'
Laurene Transue said Ciavarella "was playing God. And not only was he doing that, he was getting money for it. He was betraying the trust put in him to do what is best for children."
Kurt Kruger, now 22, had never been in trouble with the law until the day police accused him of acting as a lookout while his friend shoplifted less than $200 worth of DVDs from Wal-Mart. He said he didn't know his friend was going to steal anything.
Kruger pleaded guilty before Ciavarella and spent three days in a company-run juvenile detention center, plus four months at a youth wilderness camp run by a different operator.
"Never in a million years did I think that I would actually get sent away. I was completely destroyed," said Kruger, who later dropped out of school. He said he wants to get his record expunged, earn his high school equivalency diploma and go to college.
"I got a raw deal, and yeah, it's not fair," he said, "but now it's 100 times bigger than me."
© 2009 The Associated Press.
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As far as I have been able to make out, this is known locally as the Luzerne County Court House corruption investigation. Stuff that is now hitting the national news networks has been brewing locally for quite some time.
Philadelphia-based Juvenile Law Center got involved at least a year ago. They filed a request with the State Supreme Court to take jurisdiction over certain Ciavarella cases. That application got denied; I believe they plan to or have already re-filed.
Originally, the focus was primarily on the egregious and inappropriate incarceration of so many children. Then it came to light that none of these kids had been afforded requisite legal counsel. And then somehow the Feds got involved and it was determined that quite a lot of funds had changed hands, and over several years. In addition to Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan, there is also a County Court Administrator who may or may not be involved.
Facilities that the kids were sent to included PA Child Care LLC and a sister company, Western PA Child Care LLC. Also mentioned on the news video was some place called Camp Adams, and there was an entrance sign to some (probable) wilderness program depicted which reads "Youth Services Agency / ACT at Jim Thorpe."
Somehow I never knew that the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling, that children have a constitutional right to counsel, happened all the way back in 1967. Anyone else here had their rights flagrantly squashed by the Juvenile Justice machine?
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Here is a local article informing us of the indictment of Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan on federal charges back on January 26th:
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
2 Luzerne County Judges Indicted on Federal Charges (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=67222)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Monday, Jan 26, 2009 @09:30pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- A two year federal investigation leads to charges against two Luzerne County judges. They are charged with federal fraud and tax crimes. The Eyewitness News I-Team first told you about the investigation late last summer.
Federal investigators including the FBI, U.S. Attorney and the IRS gathered Monday at the Federal courthouse in Scranton to announce charges of fraud and conspiracy against Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella (left) and Michael Conahan (right).
It all had to do with their involvement with a privately-owned juvenile detention center in Luzerne County. U.S. Attorney Martin Carlson said, "The defendants engaged in fraud by taking millions of dollars from two unnamed persons in connection with the construction, operation and expansion of juvenile detention facilities here in Luzerne County and elsewhere."
Investigators say the judges issued court rulings that would make sure juveniles were detained even when probation officers recommended that they be released. They also issued court orders that forced the county to use the detention center exclusively. The judges admitted to the charges and will now face prison time.
"The judges have stipulated to a sentence of 87 months, just over 7 years in federal prison. The judges further agreed to resign their position as judges within 10 days. With their guilty pleas they face automatic disbarment from the practice of law and they must pay restitution as determined by the courts," added Carlson.
Federal investigators say they diverted some $2.6 million dollars into their accounts and issued court orders to make sure the Pennsylvania Child Care Center in Pittston Township benefited. They also admitted to taking kick-backs from people connected to the construction and operation of the facility.
The U.S. Attorney says the investigation is ongoing and future arrests are possible.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Throw the judges in jail for the consecutive amount of time he sentenced the sum of the kids... and throw away the key.
On a side note, i'm amazed how many seperate threads there are on this one topic... lol. This news story is getting a lot of coverage.
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Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella was charged on January 26, 2009. Judge Michael Conahan was also charged, either that day or shortly thereafter.
This resulted in a flurry of local news coverage the next day. Four pieces follow:
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[Local news video clip of the following story accessible from title link.]
Juvenile Law Center Wants Ciavarella's Rulings Reviewed (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=67401)
Reported by: Mike Trim
Tuesday, Jan 27, 2009 @10:55pm EST
PHILADELPHIA- Pennsylvania's Juvenile Law Center is trying to overturn a State Supreme Court application ruling. A few weeks ago, the court denied a request made by the law center to take charge of hundreds of judge Mark Ciavarella's rulings.
Ciavarella has been federally charged. Prosecutors say he compromised Luzerne County’s Juvenile Court system.
The Juvenile Law Center doesn't mince words when talking about Ciavarella. Legal director Marsha Levick says, "This is a judge who was elected to represent and protect the best interest of children and on the backs of children took money and sent them into detention unnecessarily."
The Juvenile Law Center says hundreds of juveniles' rights were violated by Ciavarella. In Spring 2008 it asked the State Supreme Court to take jurisdiction over certain Ciavarella cases.
The center says Ciavarella skipped necessary steps in juvenile hearings. The center hoped the court would help overturn rulings in those cases.
But on January 8th, the court declined that application. Now the Juvenile Law Center will ask the state supreme court to reconsider it's application.
Levick says in wake of federal charges against Ciavarella, there might be enough to change the court's ruling.
Kevin Williamson of Hanover Township's case is an example of one the Juvenile Law Center is appealing. The law center says Ciavarella skipped steps in his hearing last April. He was sent to a juvenile camp in Jim Thorpe for seven weeks.
Williamson is out now, but his mother says this about Ciavarella, "Maybe the shoe's on the other foot now and maybe now he'll know what it feels like, that he actually did something wrong."
If the State Supreme Court route doesn't work, the juvenile law center won't stop. Levick says the center will legally appeal somewhere else.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Justice for the Juveniles? (http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28882272/)
Reported by: Eric Scheiner
updated 11:46 p.m. ET, Tues., Jan. 27, 2009
WILKES-BARRE-- Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan are accused of collecting more than $2 and a half million dollars from the construction, expansion and operation of juvenile detention facilities as well as for the placement of juveniles in the facility.
The Juvenile Law Center filed suit last spring claiming hundreds of juveniles' rights were violated by Ciavarella. Many juveniles were not told of their right to be represented by attorneys and were given detention center sentences instead of probation, according to the group.
The State Supreme Court denied the center's petition for emergency relief against the county. Now they are looking at an appeal.
Parents who feel their children were incorrectly sent to juvenile detention centers by the two judges are looking at their legal options as well.
What legal options are available? What can parents who feel their kids were wrongly sentenced do? What will happen next?
WYOU Interactive discusses the issues with Attorney Barry Dyller, Mother of a sentenced teen Susan Mishanski and Marsha Levick from the Juvenile Law Center.
Local news video coverage on THIS page (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=67442).
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story can be accessed from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
No Shortage of Reaction to Charges Against Judges (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=67422)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Tuesday, Jan 27, 2009 @10:00pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- There's no shortage of reaction to two Luzerne County judges charged with abusing their power. Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan are accused of using their position on the bench to steer kids to a juvenile detention facility. On February 12th the judges will make appear before a federal judge in Scranton for a formal court arraignment.
Today Eyewitness News spoke to a father who says his daughter was the victim of a crooked judge.
18-year-old Jessica from Mountain Top was one of dozens of teenagers sent to juvenile detention by Judge Mark Ciavarella. Her father, Jack Van Reeth, says she was a first time offender and non-violent.
He was told she would get probation. They got quite a surprise. “Going into the courtroom we were there for less than 90 seconds, at the end of which she was immediately put in shackles and taken off for 90 days to Camp Adams. We were speechless."
Judge Ciavarella and Judge Michael Conahan are charged with making money from their connection to the privately run, PA Child Care Center and taking kickbacks of more than $2 million dollars.
Jack says he knew something wasn't right from the beginning. "I want to remind him [the judge] words when he first ran for judge at the start of the political campaign. It's time for people to realize people who commit crimes will be punished," he said.
Meanwhile Civil Rights Advocate Attorney Barry Dyler is working with parents like Van Reeth into a possible lawsuit. "My initial concerns have little to do with being a lawyer and a lot to do with being a human being, a citizen. It's terrible that these children were treated as inventory and incarcerated because it was a money-making operation," he said.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from THIS page (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=67511).]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Ciavarella Speaks Out Through Attorney (http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28885259/)
Reported by: Joe Holden
updated 12:16 a.m. ET, Wed., Jan. 28, 2009
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- The attorney for embattled Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella disputed claims by federal authorities the judge made money off a scheme to imprison juveniles in select detention centers. Al Flora on Tuesday told Eyewitness News Ciavarella "specifically denies that he sent any child to any juvenile facility because of money that he received from any person."
The U.S. Attorney's Office mapped out its case against Ciavarella and Luzerne County Senior Judge Michael Conahan on Monday, dropping a bomb of accusations that rattled the county's legal system from the highest ranks on downward.
Conahan has not commented.
Ciavarella expressed concern about media reports through his attorney. Flora said most of those concerns dealt with print media outlets. He cited one specific example, pointing to a headline that alleged the judges "bilked taxpayers of $2.6 million." Flora said the headline was "factually inaccurate and not alleged in the charges filed by the government." Instead, the government, in its case, claims the money came from two private parties.
Flora acknowledged the case's complexity. In fact, Flora said the Governor's office had misinterpreted a resignation letter from his client. Ciavarella had resigned his office of president judge on Friday. He maintains his seat on the Court of Common Pleas. Governor Ed Rendell's spokesman told Eyewitness News they were under the impression Ciavarella had resigned from the court. Flora reiterated that was not so.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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One week after charges were filed against Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided to re-think its former stance.
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Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Pa. Supreme Court reviewing county juvenile cases (http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28986870/)
Associated Press
updated 11:04 p.m. ET, Mon., Feb. 2, 2009
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is intervening in juvenile criminal cases in a county where two judges are accused of taking kickbacks.
Luzerne County President Judge Mark Ciavarella (shiv-ah-REL'-lah) and another judge have agreed to plead guilty to fraud charges announced last week by federal prosecutors. Authorities say they took kickbacks for placing juveniles in privately owned detention facilities.
The agreements call for sentences of more than seven years in prison. Their plea hearing has not been set.
An advocacy group called the Juvenile Law Center had asked the state Supreme Court to intervene. The court ruled Monday that it would do so. It had declined to do so before the charges were announced.
© 2009 The Associated Press.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Latest in the Luzerne County Corruption Case (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=68261)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Monday, Feb 2, 2009 @09:07pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Federal agents searched the home of a high ranking Luzerne County official in connection with the courthouse corruption investigation.
The search happened last Friday just days after Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan were charged with fraud. They're accused of taking millions in kickbacks in connection with the construction and operation of a private juvenile center.
Eyewitness News also learned that new President Judge Chester Muroski has suspended county payments to Court Administrator William Sharkey. Sharkey's been on medical leave since last August. But Muroski tells Eyewitness News that Sharkey has been "out and about" but not at work.
He's not officially named in the federal investigation, but federal agents seized records from his office last summer. Sharkey could not be reached for comment.
In other related news, the state Supreme Court says they will now look into hundreds of juvenile court cases at the request of the Juvenile Law Center. Several weeks ago they had said they would not review the rulings against teens who appeared in Ciavarella's courtroom without an attorney.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Here are two more articles focused -- more or less -- on Luzerne County Court Administrator William Sharkey and the embezzled gambling confiscations:
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
More Charges in Luzerne Co. Corruption Case (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=68302)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Tuesday, Feb 3, 2009 @10:20pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- It's 3-arrests and counting in the ongoing federal investigation into corruption at the Luzerne County Courthouse. Longtime Court Administrator William Sharkey is charged with embezzling some $70,000 from the county court system. He is the third high-ranking county official heading to prison.
The U.S. Attorney filed charges Tuesday against Sharkey, who's from West Hazleton. He has been the Court Administrator since 1997. Sharkey was in charge of court operations, and that included money.
According to investigators Sharkey was in control of illegal gambling money seized by state Liquor Control Enforcement. He was supposed to get a court forfeiture order and then put that money, some $70,000, into the county treasurer's account. Federal investigators say he kept the money.
His arrest has people talking. Carl Romanelli of Wilkes-Barre said, "It's disappointing it happened at all but it’s nice to see the investigation is moving forward and bad apples."
This comes 8 days after Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan were charged with fraud for taking millions in kickbacks connected to a private juvenile center.
On Monday the I-Team learned that new President Judge Chester Muroski suspended county payments to Sharkey. Tuesday Muroski said that Sharkey is now immediately suspended without pay. Sharkey has been on medical leave since last August. But Muroski told Eyewitness News that Sharkey has been "out and about" but not at work.
Federal agents seized records from Sharkey’s office last summer. Sharkey could not be reached for comment.
Eyewitness News is also told that the federal investigation continues and that more arrests are likely.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
More Courthouse Corruption (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=68552)
Reported by: Eric Scheiner
Tuesday, Feb 3, 2009 @07:43pm EST
WILKES-BARRE-- Under Luzerne County Court Administrator William Sharkey's plea agreement, he will give up his home, his car, and over $42,000 he's paid into the state pension system. It is still to be determined if these forfeitures will be necessary to cover the restitution of the nearly $71,000 he stole from the county court system.
It's alleged Sharkey embezzled the money over a period of ten years by illegally pocketing gambling proceeds seized in criminal cases.
Sharkey is the latest court official making a plea deal, following the indictment of Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan for taking kickbacks in return for placing juvenile offenders in certain detention facilities.
Part of Sharkey's plea agreement includes his cooperation with officials, causing some to wonder if any information he gives authorities may lead to more indictments at the Luzerne County Courthouse.
WYOU Interactive discusses the indictments and the issues surrounding corruption at the Luzerne County Courthouse.
[Local news video coverage of the above story accessible from title link.]
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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And what is to become of the Judges' pension funds? Retirement benefits are generally taken away if a judge is disbarred due to a federal conviction.
Interesting that Judge Conahan withdrew more than $300,000 from his pie...all the way back in mid January. Pennsylvania may not be able to get that money back.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
I-Team: Possible Pension Loss for Judges (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=68861)
Reported by: Mike Trim
Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 @09:30pm EST
Through a Pennsylvania "right to know" request, the I-Team discovered how much pension money Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan could lose.
Starting first with Ciavarella, the I-Team estimates he would collect approximately $75,000 a year in pension funds. That's if he retired with his current years of service as a judge.
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Local taxpayer advocate Walter Griffith says Ciavarella and Conahan shouldn't get a dime. "They've taken the juvenile system of our county and they've smeared it so badly and they've ruined the lives of young people that I just don't think it's fair that they should be able to walk away with everything," says Griffith.
Next is Conahan, who officially retired as a judge on January 14th, 2008. The next day he returned as a senior judge, appointed part-time by the state.
But when he retired, Conahan withdrew a lump sum of a little more than $300,000 in pension payout. And that money could be safe for Conahan.
The State Employees Retirement System says forfeited pension money is usually taken from the point of conviction and beyond.
Conahan did nothing illegal by withdrawing the lump sum, but Griffith says it seemed odd. "There's a lot of different things that are happening in the county that aren't in the best interest of the taxpayers. That particular issue is a little bit difficult because it just seems funny that he would take his retirement," says Griffith.
If convicted, Conahan and Ciavarella could both lose retirement benefits. The state employee's retirement system follows state law guidelines to take away pensions.
There's a specific guideline that takes retirement benefits away if a judge is disbarred because of a federal conviction.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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In a related twist, as far as inappropriate and illegal maneuvers vis a vis incarcerations are concerned, Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella is also in hot water regarding a "secret probation parole program" involving adult inmates. One has to wonder if some more payola was involved in those transactions.
In light of the below described developments, it would appear that Judge Ciavarella's 90-second rulings, in the case of juveniles, were not due to his being "tough on crime."
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
The Latest on Luzerne County Court Corruption (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=68781)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 @09:35pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- There are more developments in the federal investigation into corruption at the Luzerne County Courthouse.
It appears an embattled judge modified the sentences handed out by other judges. That's causing uproar in the courthouse. Those modifications could allow for special treatment or special favors for those convicted of crimes.
However that practice ended on Wednesday. President Judge Chester Muroski issued a one page order that makes sure sentences handed out by a judge cannot be changed or modified without the knowledge of that judge or the court administrator.
Judge Mark Ciavarella and Micheal Conahan are facing fraud charges and have been removed from the bench for allegedly accepting kickbacks in connection with a juvenile facility.
The modifications in question did not violate any law or statute, but they did anger several of the judges. One judge told us off camera that he was not even aware of any sentence modifications. They heard about it second and even third hand.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Corruption: Probations Revoked/Olszewski Speaks Out (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=69021)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Thursday, Feb 5, 2009 @04:01pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Dozens of inmates who had been released by a judge accused of fraud are heading back to prison. It turns out that "secret program" was known only to former President Judge Mark Ciavarella. Inmates were placed on parole or probation without the knowledge of the judges who sent them to prison in the first place.
Judge Peter Paul Olszewski is angry and concerned. He says a secret probation parole program run by former judge Mark Ciavarella called "crossing over" put dangerous people on the street. Thursday he issued several court orders demanding those inmates be brought back to prison. "I have serious concerns about violent felons being released from prison prior to their sentences being served. Another of the inmates released without my knowledge had previously 5 revocations from probation and parole. That's not the kind of inmate that should be released to our streets early without approval of sentencing judges."
27 inmates were released to the halfway house. 4 of them were sentenced by judge Olszewski. Olszewski says judge Ciavarella not only placed innocent people in harm's way, but he may have broken the law. "I'm also concerned about inmates being released from prison who committed violent crimes and the victims of those crimes have not been notified. They were released from a secure facility into an unsecured facility. That is a serious concern that may have violated state law. That's being looked into."
Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan are facing 7 years in prison for accepting millions of dollars in kickbacks in connection with a private juvenile facility. Those two judges and court administrator William Sharkey have been charged in this federal corruption investigation. More arrests are coming.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Judge Mark Ciavarella defends himself. Somehow he manages to omit any mention of his rulings as head of juvenile court.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Corruption at the Courthouse: Ciavarella Fires Back (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=69611)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Monday, Feb 9, 2009 @06:30pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- An embattled Luzerne County judge fires back about allegations he made improper court decisions. Judge Mark Ciavarella is heading to prison on federal fraud charges. Now Ciavarella says he wants to set the record straight.
Judge Mark Ciavarella admits he disgraced his judgeship and he blames himself. But he says he will not stand by and let misinformation be put out about policy decisions he made while president judge.
We obtained a copy of a two page letter sent by Judge Mark Ciavarella to President Judge Chester Muroski. It challenges some of the statements that have come out of the courthouse since Ciavarella and Judge Michael Conahan were charged by federal prosecutors.
Ciavarella claims he never made decisions without other judges knowing about it. That includes the lawsuit against the county commissioners involving budget cutbacks in the court system. That lawsuit was withdrawn last Friday by Judge Muroski.
Judge Ciavarella especially takes issue with claims that he changed the sentences of inmates without the knowledge of the original sentencing judges. Some of those involved were supposedly violent criminals.
Judge Olszewski raised concerns for public safety in that probation program, that he and other judges called secret. "I have serious concerns about violent felons being released form prison prior to their sentenced being served," he told Eyewitness News.
Judge Muroski also released a statement saying he will not publicly debate Ciavarella, but he and the other judges are working to restore the public trust in the court.
Nowhere in that letter does Ciavarella talk about decisions he made as the head of juvenile court. Those decisions got him into big trouble. The feds say he and Judge Michael Conahan took kickbacks and sent kids to detention, when they should not have been sent away.
Ciavarella and Conahan will appear in federal court this Thursday for formal arraignment.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Interjection: It is at this point in time that the article linked to the OP (and copied out (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=26989#p326260) in the post immediately thereafter) was published. That is, on Wed, February 11, 2009.]
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Another of Judge Mark Ciavarella's cronies bites the dust, this one through a simple layoff. County Director of Special Courts and Alternative Sentencing Sam Guesto was an appointee of Judge Ciavarella. Perhaps "alternative sentencing" entailed assistance in arrangements for that "secret probation parole program?"
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Layoffs Include Controversial Former County Manager (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=70102)
Reported by: Mike Trim
Thursday, Feb 12, 2009 @10:35pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Sam Guesto, the county Director of Special Courts and Alternative Sentencing is laid off. He came under fire because of another county controversy a year ago. But on Wednesday, he became part of 27 county employees laid off.
It will save the county his salary total of $78,000. It was a choice made by the county judicial system that laid off 27 staff members. Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla says, "Had it not happened in the courts, we would have had to go back to the other departments and make cuts again and really they can't afford any more cuts in their departments."
Guesto was appointed by suspended Luzerne County judge Mark Ciavarella. Before the appointment, Guesto came under fire while serving at his former position, County Manager.
He was one of several county officials who racked up thousands of dollars in unapproved county debit card charges in 2007.
Most of the county layoffs though are in the probation department. 11 are laid off, and we're told one probation employee worked his position for 25 years. Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak said, "They have families like all of us and in these uncertain economic times there's a lot of stress in ones life and now that they lost their job I can only imagine. I hope they can get back on their feet."
Other than layoffs, eight current vacant positions in court administration will not be filled.
It's all to help get Luzerne county out of debt. The county says these layoffs will save about 2.1million dollars.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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The judges head into court February 12, 2009 to plead guilty to corruption related charges... Apparently some higher ups in the probation department already got axed, and there's more to come... Luzerne County begins to learn the details of how much this has cost them...
This article aired prior to the hearing:
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Judges in Court Today as New Details Emerge (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=70002)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Thursday, Feb 12, 2009 @11:30am EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Former Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan made a quick entrance into the William J. Nealon Federal Building in Scranton this morning around 9:45. They arrived for their preliminary hearing set for 1:00 P.M.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Zubrod is the lead prosecutor in the federal corruption case. Under a plea agreement, the two judges would serve more than 7-years in prison on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit tax fraud.
Eyewitness News I-Team reporters Andy Mehalshick and Joe Holden were the only local TV reporters on the steps of the federal courthouse as the two arrived. The judges had nothing to say as they headed inside to begin the process of pleading guilty to corruption related charges.
Meanwhile new details on the scandal emerged Wednesday. The draft of a proposed state audit has surfaced on one of the two detention centers in the middle of Luzerne County's corruption scandal.
The report claims Luzerne County was billed more than $500,000 to Western PA Child Care. That includes payments to the facility's ex co-owner, Robert Powell, and money for trips to the NCAA tournament and the King of Prussia Mall.
Powell's attorney says the expenses in question are inaccurate.
And Luzerne County is cutting dozens of more jobs. President Judge Chester Muroski says 11 probation officers will be laid-off effective Friday. Additional employees will be notified of their layoffs then too.
The Probation Services Director and the Fiscal Director in Probation have been fired. Nearly 20 vacant positions in the Luzerne County court system will not be filled.
Judge Muroski says the cuts will reduce the 2009 court budget by $2.1-million. Ciavarella had filed a lawsuit against the county resisting the cutbacks. That suit was dropped when Ciavarella resigned.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Corrupt Judges in Court (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=70122)
Reported by: Eric Scheiner
Thursday, Feb 12, 2009 @09:53pm EST
WILKES-BARRE-- Corrupt judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan finally pleaded guilty to taking more than $2.6 million in kickbacks for placing juvenile offenders into youth detention facilities.
The plea deal with federal prosecutors will mean the two will each remain behind bars for at least 7 years.
Federal officials say more indictments are coming as they continue to investigate. How deep does the corruption go?
The teens that were sentenced by these former judges are getting their cases reviewed, some records may be expunged. Class action law suits are expected to be filed by families of these teens and Luzerne County may be forced to make payments. Should the judges have to pay reimbursement to the county as well?
An audit of Western PA Child Care, one of the juvenile facilities connected to the judges kickback scheme, found that over $2 million dollars in questionable fees were charged to taxpayers. Should the judges have to make restitution for these funds as well?
WYOU Interactive discusses the issue with Lourdes Rosado of the Juvenile Law Center and Investigative Reporter Andy Mehalshick.
[Local news video coverage of the above story accessible from title link.]
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Sentenced Teens React to Guilty Pleas (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=70111)
Reported by: Joe Holden
Thursday, Feb 12, 2009 @10:40pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY - Most are pleased that the judges were arraigned on the charges they were expected to be charged with. But that still doesn't change their opinions on this courthouse corruption.
This is Jeff Klinges and Tim Seabridge of Kingston. They say they were unfairly sentenced by suspended Judge Mark Ciavarella.
Jeff Klinges, of Kingston says, "What goes around comes around, you know? I mean, you can't be a public official like that and just expect to get away with things like that, you know?"
Tim Seabridge, of Kingston says, "It's happening to him what happened to us."
Klinges and Seabridge say they were rushed through their court hearing in 2007. Klinges was sentenced to house arrest and Seabridge to a juvenile detention facility in Jim Thorpe. Both say they were rushed through their hearings and not allowed access to a public defender.
Klinges adds, "Our parents were there and they pretty much said if we didn't have one that they could defend us. And I guess you're not supposed to do that. He let us go the whole trial with just our parents."
Seabridge adds, "I wanted a lawyer, they just wouldn't give me one and he told me I have to sign it or he was going to go on without it. So that was Ciavarella."
According to the Pennsylvania law center, Ciavarella skipped necessary juvenile court cases. But with the suspended judge's guilty plea, both Klinges and Seabridge are happy it won't happen to anyone else.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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The Associated Press picked up the story the following morning:
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Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Judges Plead Guilty in Federal Court (http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29172602/)
Associated Press
updated 7:45 a.m. ET, Fri., Feb. 13, 2009
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- Two suspended Luzerne County judges made their guilty plea official on Thursday in Federal Court in Scranton.
Mark Ciaverella and Michael Conahan admitted to a kick back scheme involving a private juvenile detention center in Luzerne County.
Federal prosecutors say they steered 2.6 million dollars to businesses they had interest in. That money was connected to the construction and operation of the PA Child Care Center in Pittston Township.
A pre-sentence investigation will take 60 to 90 days. A date will then be set for formal sentencing. They face at least seven years in prison.
The investigation continues and more charges against other individuals are expected.
In the meantime, hundreds of juvenile cases handled by Ciaverella are being reviewed by a Master Judge appointed by the State Supreme Court. The cases involve youngsters not represented by an attorney.
© 2009 The Associated Press.
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Brief mention is made, in the following article, of the class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of hundreds of children and their families:
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Families sue Pa. judges in kickback scheme (http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29183652/)
Judges accused of sending teens to detention centers for money
(http://http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/ap/48bbbc4f-9b9a-4b05-a341-bf700cfc261f.hmedium.jpg)
Mark Ciavarella leaves federal court in Scranton, Pa., on Thursday after pleading guilty to fraud. Prosectuors say the former judge and a colleague took $2.6 million in payoffs to put juveniles in lockups run by private companies. Ciavarella has denied taking kickbacks. David Kidwell / AP
Associated Press
updated 2:27 p.m. ET, Fri., Feb. 13, 2009
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A lawsuit has been filed against two Pennsylvania judges accused of taking more than $2 million in kickbacks to send youth offenders to privately run detention centers.
The suit names Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan and 14 other defendants. It was filed in federal court late Thursday on behalf of hundreds of children and their families who were alleged victims of the corruption.
"At the hands of two grossly corrupt judges and several conspirators, hundreds of Pennsylvania children, their families and loved ones, were victimized and their civil rights violated," plaintiffs' attorney Michael Cefalo said in a statement Friday.
Prosecutors allege Ciavarella and Conahan took $2.6 million in payoffs to put juvenile offenders in lockups run by PA Child Care LLC and a sister company, possibly tainting the convictions of thousands of juvenile offenders.
The judges pleaded guilty to fraud in federal court in Scranton on Thursday. Their plea agreements call for sentences of more than seven years in prison.
The suit asks for at least $150,000 for each of three counts, the minimum required to avoid mandatory arbitration, but the plaintiffs are likely to argue for a much higher amount.
An attorney for Conahan said he hadn't seen the suit and declined comment. Ciavarella's lawyer didn't immediately return a phone message.
The lead plaintiff is Florence Wallace, whose 14-year-old daughter Bernadine was charged with making threats after getting into an argument on MySpace. The lawsuit said the teenager was not advised of her right to an attorney and was pressured to plead guilty. She was taken from Ciavarella's courtroom in shackles and spent time in PA Child Care and at a youth wilderness camp.
As a result of the judges' corruption, parents were forced to pay for the "wrongful incarceration" of their children, the suit said. Some parents had their wages garnished, public assistance benefits taken and social security benefits seized.
In addition to the judges, the plaintiffs are suing two individuals who allegedly paid the kickbacks: attorney Robert Powell, who co-owned PA Child Care LLC and Western PA Child Care LLC until last June, and Robert Mericle, who owns one of the largest commercial construction firms in northeastern Pennsylvania and built the detention centers.
Through an attorney, Powell has said he was the victim of extortion. A spokesman for Mericle has denied making payments "to influence a decision to secure a contract to build any PA Child Care facility."
Mericle's company was also named as a defendant.
The lawsuit is the first of what is expected to be a number seeking class-action status in the case.
© 2009 The Associated Press.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Sentenced Juveniles File Lawsuit Against Judges (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=70262)
Reported by: Andy Mehalschick
Friday, Feb 13, 2009 @11:15pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- A class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of hundreds of children and their families who were victims of two corrupt Luzerne County judges.
Two Pennsylvania law firms filed the lawsuit late Thursday night. It came just hours after Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan pled guilty in federal court. More than a dozen co-defendants are also named.
Attorney Michael Cefalo of West Pittston said, "We're going to right it, whatever it takes we're going to make it right. It will not be the same ever again at Luzerne County. Never."
The civil complaint claims both judges willfully and knowingly engaged in racketeering activity and they deprived the children of their civil rights.
And late Friday the state Supreme Court terminated the pay and benefits of Judge Mark Ciavarella.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Luzerne County Court Administrator William Sharkey pleads guilty. Both the Associated Press and the local Pennsylvania news came out with an article the same day with the same name (but different text), so I'll just post both of them.
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Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Luzerne County Court Administrator Pleads Guilty (http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29238819/)
Associated Press
updated 12:17 p.m. ET, Tues., Feb. 17, 2009
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- Federal investigators say Luzerne County's Court Administrator abused his powers for a decade. They say William Sharkey stole thousands of dollars in confiscated gambling money. Today he appeared in federal court, weeks after a plea agreement was worked out.
Luzerne County Court Administrator William Sharkey pleaded guilty in federal court in Scranton this morning to one count of embezzlement.
Sharkey admitted he stole more than $70,000 in funds seized from illegal gambling operations in a 10-year period. His plea hearing took about 20 minutes.
Sharkey's plea is the third in less than a week in connection with the Luzerne County Courthouse corruption investigation.
© 2009 The Associated Press.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Luzerne County Court Administrator Pleads Guilty (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=70602)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Tuesday, Feb 17, 2009 @06:56pm EST
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- Another person has entered a plea in connection to the Luzerne County corruption scandal. Former Court Administrator William Sharkey pleaded guilty in federal court in Scranton Wednesday to theft charges.
He admitted to taking nearly $70,000 in confiscated gambling money. The money was to be used by the Luzerne County District Attorney's office.
D.A. Jackie Musto Carroll discovered the money was missing and reported it to the F.B.I. "Personally it makes me feel bad. I know these gentlemen for over 20 years. I've trusted them so to know they just disregarded the law, disregarded what is right and did wrong unnerves me its upsetting it really is," she said.
Sharkey faces up to 10-years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He'll also give up his pension and his home to pay restitution.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Well. At least Sharkey wasn't selling kids into bondage for cash.
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Well. At least Sharkey wasn't selling kids into bondage for cash.
Perhaps not directly. But Luzerne County Court Administrator William Sharkey is former President Judge Michael Conahan's first cousin. The collusion that has been going on in that courthouse spans many years and across the board in all kinds of wheelings and dealings. It may not have been the whole basket, but it was several bad apples, not just one or two, and the degree to which certain personages were able to milk the system for their own personal greed and protection could not have happened without the cooperation and covering up that Administrators like Sharkey did. So... I'm afraid, I personally do feel he has his share of responsibility in this "Jailing Kids for Cash" scheme.
In many respects, this Luzerne County Court House Corruption Scandal is a microcosm of much that frequently goes on in the troubled teen industry. Rarely does one get to see such blow by blow coverage as the house of cards tumbles down.
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It is hard not to indulge the locals their time of blood lust! :D Here's another article skewering Sharkey for his excesses:
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
More Questions Surround Former Court Administrator (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=70981)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Wednesday, Feb 18, 2009 @04:55pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Questions are being raised about the use of a county-owned car former Court Administrator William Sharkey used. Sharkey pled guilty yesterday to stealing $70,000 in confiscated gambling proceeds.
He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Wednesday Eyewitness News learned county officials are now investigating Sharkey for alleged misuse of a county owned car.
County officials confirmed Sharkey -- without authorization -- used a county owned Impala from the probation department for at least 3-months while on medical leave.
They are also investigating a report that Sharkey was seen driving a county car, yesterday, the same day he plead guilty to theft in federal court. Commissioner Steve Urban said, "I would day probation department should come clean if Mr. Sharkey is using a car they better own up! If they have it individual called didn't want to give his name at this point out of fear of retaliation from people in the county."
We tried to contact Sharkey, but, he didn't return our phone calls.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[There is a ~3:30 video clip of Kurt Kruger being interviewed on local news media coverage, accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Kurt Kruger, Sentenced by Ciavarella, Talks about the Experience (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=70741)
Wednesday, Feb 18, 2009 @09:24am EST
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
State Hearing on Luzerne County Corruption (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=71252)
Thursday, Feb 19, 2009 @04:38pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- A Luzerne county lawmaker wants state hearings into the ongoing corruption investigation at the Luzerne County Courthouse. So far, two judges and a court administrator are facing prison time as federal investigators continue to weed out corruption.
Just about everyday a new and sometimes stunning revelation from the Luzerne County Courthouse. Suspended judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan admit to millions in kickbacks in a kids for cash scheme involving a juvenile detention center in which they have a connection. A court administrator confessed to stealing $70,000 dollars in confiscated gambling money. State Senator Lisa Baker says her hometown scandal has other lawmakers talking. "For my colleagues around the commonwealth sense of shock and outrage as well I think we all believe, I believe a courtroom that it has to be a place for fundamental fairness."
Senator Baker is requesting the judiciary committee hold hearings on the scandal. Especially when it comes to the way the juvenile cases were handled.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Jeez... Now we're talking 'bout possible Mob connections... :eek:
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Local Newspaper Files Petition in Supreme Court in Relation to Corruption (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=71242)
Thursday, Feb 19, 2009 @04:15pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- The owners of the Citizens Voice newspaper will file a petition in the state supreme court today claiming that suspended judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan have direct connections to jailed mobster William D'elia. It centers around a multi-million dollar judgment against the newspaper in a defamation lawsuit.
The Citizens' Voice newspaper is reporting that their lawyers will file a petition with the state supreme court to vacate and throw out a $3.5 million dollar defamation verdict issued by suspended judge Mark Ciavarella in June of 2006 following a non jury verdict. Ciavarella ruled in favor of a West Pitttston businessman, who claimed he was defamed in a series of special reports in 2001. Those reports came after federal agents raided his business as well as homes owned by D'elia and others.
The newspaper owners say they will produce a witness that will testify that one or both of the now disgraced judges had connection to William "Big Billy" D'elia. D'elia 62, is the longtime reputed head of the Buffalino crime family and is serving a 9 year prison term for money laundering and witness tampering.
The newspaper alleges that then president judge Michael Conahan and his first cousin, William Sharkey, steered the case into the hands of Ciavarella for a favorable ruling.
The newspaper petition alleges that Ciavarella issued one sided rulings and ignored evidence that the businessman and D'elia were close associates. The newspapers petition in part reads: the scope and subject of the newspaper articles in question. "A cascade of recent revelations of corruption at the Luzerne County Courthouse strongly suggests the $3.5 million dollar verdict was rigged."
This latest revelation has people talking. Larry Pasbach of Dallas says, "I've never seen it as bad as it is here. I've lived in Chicago… Chicago is kids play compared to what happening here."
Civalrella and Conahan face 7 years in prison for taking kickbacks in connection with a private juvenile system, and Sharkey, the former court administrator, faces up to 10 years for stealing $70,000 in confiscated money.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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I hope the feds take this investigation further than PA. I have no doubt this sort of thing is common across the nation.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Fourth Arrest in Courthouse Case (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=71391)
Friday, Feb 20, 2009 @08:18pm EST
Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County - Sandy Brulo is a powerbroker in Luzerne County court. Tonight she is an accused felon. Eyewitness News is told she tampered with public records.
Sandy Brulo says nothing and stares straight ahead as she walked with her lawyer out of federal court in Wilkes-Barre. In fact, some say she looks "glazed over". The 56 year old was the deputy director of forensic programs in the juvenile probation office. She was there for 26 years.
This is where Brulo worked inside Penn Place office building, basically a courthouse annex. Investigators say she changed public records involving at least one juvenile case from February 1st to the 20th. Today this comes as civil suits are being filed against the county involving juvenile cases.
Brulo's office worked closely with former President Judge Mark Ciavarella when he handed down punishment. Ciavarella is accused of sending teenagers to a private detention facility, in exchange for millions of dollars in kickbacks. This was a kids' for cash scheme.
Federal agents say she altered a juvenile record with the intent to impair its integrity for use in federal proceedings. She faces 20 years in prison and a $250,000 dollar fine. She is the fourth Luzerne County official charged by the U.S. attorney's office, including judges Civarella, Conahan and former court administrator William Sharkey.
For taxpayers, it's almost too much to believe. Jim Swafford, a taxpayer says, "It makes you wonder if the judicial system is completely broken or not because a lot of people got hurt for money. It shouldn't be that way." Tabitha Swafford, another taxpayer says, "I feel bad for the familiy's kids that were sent there. It wasn't necessary to go there. They had to go through hard times and it just wasn't necessary for them."
Judge Chester Muroski suspended Brulo without pay. She is free on her own recognizance. She will have a hearing on March 20th at federal court in Wilkes-Barre.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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The plot thickens. One has to wonder just how much Moran knows, given that she saw fit resign at this hour...
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
High Ranking Luzerne Co. Official Resigns (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=71631)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Monday, Feb 23, 2009 @09:50pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- A high ranking Luzerne County official has abruptly turned in her resignation. It comes as federal investigators continue their probe into corruption at the courthouse.
Eyewitness News has confirmed that Luzerne County Prothonatary Jill Moran will resign. The governor's office confirms that she sent them a letter saying she would step down from her position.
Moran says she is resigning effective March 13th, because the circumstances in the Luzerne County Courthouse are making her presence in the office a distraction. She says she is resigning so that the office may continue to operate effectively.
The circumstances she is talking about are of course the ongoing federal probe into corruption at the courthouse. Four officials have been charged, including county Judges Mark Ciavarealla and Michael Conahan, Court Administrator William Sharkey, Sr. and most recently Probation Supervisor Sandy Brulo.
Moran has not been charged in that investigation, but she is the law partner of Attorney Robert Powell of Butler Township. He also has not been charged, but has been mentioned in the probes involving Ciavarella and Conahan.
He was one of the owners of a child care center at the focus of a "kids for cash" scheme. Powell insists he was being extorted by the judges for money in connection with the operation of that center.
The I-Team has learned that Moran has been questioned in that federal investigation, but has not been charged.
We spoke to her last week about the ongoing investigation. All she would say then is she is in her office making sure the work of the people gets done. She would not comment on any investigation. She was not in the office on Monday.
The governor's office will have to name a replacement.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Moran Cuts Deal With U.S. Attorney (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=71792)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Tuesday, Feb 24, 2009 @05:30pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- The I-Team has learned that the U.S. Attorney's office has filed information regarding Luzerne County Prothonatary Jill Moran. This comes one day after she announced that she would resign.
The U.S. Attorney's office filed the paperwork at federal court in Scranton around 10:30 this morning. It says that Moran has agreed to resign her position as Prothonatary and will cooperate with federal investigators. It says she came forward with information about corruption and fraud at the Luzerne County Courthouse.
The 12-page document details Moran's cooperation with investigators. According to the agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Moran will not face criminal charges if she continues to cooperate with the investigation. Moran says she will work with investigators to prevent future fraud against the people of the United States.
This comes one day after Moran announced that she would step down as of March 13th. Her name has come up in media reports about the corruption investigation, since she is the law partner of Attorney Bob Powell of Butler Township.
Powell has been mentioned as part of a "kids for cash" scheme involving Judges Mark Ciavarella and Micheal Conahan. Powell says he was being extorted by the judges and did nothing wrong.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Central Court's Future Debated at Hearing (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=71842)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Tuesday, Feb 24, 2009 @04:40pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Should Luzerne County's Central Court stay or go? That's a question debated at a hearing Tuesday evening.
President Judge Chester Muroski held a hearing to find out the pros and cons of the facility. Central Court was started in 2002 by Judge Michael Conahan, but many people have called it a money pit.
Police officers from all over the county are weighing in. Kingston Township Chief Jim Balavage said, "In a poll of my officers the last couple of weeks, its about 95-percent approval rating of central court but it could be improved with some logistical and some technical changes."
People who are against Central Court want hearings to be held at their local magistrate's office.
In other court news former Court Administrator William Sharkey was officially fired Tuesday. Last week Sharkey pled guilty in Scranton to embezzling $70,000 in gambling money. Sharkey had been on unpaid suspension and medical leave before being fired.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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This article refers back to that "secret probation parole program" that Judge Mark Ciavarella had going for adult inmates. See HERE (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=26989&p=326468#p326468) for some earlier media coverage.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Halfway House Caught in Middle in Corruption Case (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=72051)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Wednesday, Feb 25, 2009 @04:37pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- The I-Team has confirmed that the FBI was in the Luzerne County Courthouse again this week and did speak with two judges. It's all part of their ongoing investigation. They say that does not mean those judges are the focus of the investigation, but they could provide background information on certain aspects of the federal probe.
And today we hear form the owner of a halfway house who got caught up in the controversy surrounding Judge Mark Ciavarella.
Crossing Over on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre is where some inmates, released early by former Judge Mark Ciavarella, were sent for rehabilitation. But some judges, like Peter Paul Olszewski, said they were never told about the change in sentence. They say [they] should have been since they handled the cases and some inmates should not have been released.
Jim Casey is the owner/operator of Crossing Over. He says he was following court orders. "Judge Ciavarella came in and said now he was going to be the only sentencing judge, that we need to talk to him. He explained it as being a simpler process when in reality it wasn't. It's a lot simpler for the sentencing judge. He has all information, he can get more people here."
Casey says his record stands on its own merit. The people who come here, the majority turn their lives around. He says he was not part of any Ciavarella conspiracy. He just wants to change the lives of those in trouble. "Out of 111 people that graduated our program, only two people are back in jail. That is the difference. They don't repeat. If they don't go to jail, the prisoner becomes a taxpayer, taxpayers don't pay, we all win," he explained.
New President Judge Chester Muroski changed the policy. Now the original judge will handle the case from start to finish.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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GahLEEEE... yet another lawsuit. My bet is that there will be even more.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Third Lawsuit Filed in Connection with Courthouse Corruption (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=72241)
Thursday, Feb 26, 2009 @04:25pm EST
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- A third lawsuit has now been filed in connection with corruption at the Luzerne County Courthouse. The juvenile law center in Philadelphia filed a class action lawsuit this morning. The complaint names more than a dozen defendants including judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan. Both judges pled guilty this month to taking kickbacks after arranging contracts between the county and private juvenile detention centers. Thursday's lawsuit represents more than 100 children and their families seeking compensation.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Finally, for the first time, local Pennsylvania media coverage mentions PA Child Care owner Gregory Zappala by name. What's up with that? See HERE (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=27039&p=326827#p326827) for an intriguing possible connection between Gregory Zappala and Allegheny District Attorney, Stephen Zappala, Jr.
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Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Juvenile Injustice System (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=72341)
Reported by: Eric Scheiner
Thursday, Feb 26, 2009 @06:53pm EST
WILKES-BARRE -- Corrupt judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan have admitted their guilt in taking kickback money for sending kids to certain juvenile centers. Now there's several different civil lawsuits being filed looking for monetary damages.
The judges are named in these lawsuits as defendants and in some cases, certain businessmen such as the owners of PA Child Care Robert Powell and Gregory Zappala are named as well. Who else should be listed?
Are those that turned a blind eye to the criminal activity in the courthouse share blame? Will state and county taxpayers end up having to pay for the deplorable criminal activities of the judges?
WYOU Interactive discusses the issues with Attorney Barry Dyller, Investigative Reporter Joe Holden and Lourdes Rosario of the Juvenile Law Center.
[Local news video coverage of the above story accessible from title link.]
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Conahan/Mafia Ties (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=72541)
Saturday, Feb 28, 2009 @12:07am EST
Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County -
It all has to do with a series of reports the Citizens Voice Newspaper did in 2001. It claims Conahan had breakfast at least twice a month with D'elia. According to the paper, it was to make sure D'elia's friend, a Mountain Top business man, won a defamation suit against the paper. The Citizens Voice wants the State Supreme court to throw out the 3.5 million dollar verdict.
And for the first time we're hearing from the remaining judges. Field anchor Andy Mehalshick has more on this unprecedented event. It has never been done before in local broadcast journalism, a sit down interview with the "court en banc". Six of the remaining eight judges agreed to sit down with Andy Mehalshick to talk about the dark cloud that hangs over the courthouse. This comes as four high ranking Luzerne County officials face federal charges. This includes two of their former colleagues, suspended Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan. They admit to taking millions of dollars in kickbacks in a “Kids for cash scheme” in connection with a juvenile detention facility. These judges told Andy they feel betrayed.
Judge Joseph Augello, of Luzerne County says, "First of all I was shocked by the sheer breadth of the allegations. But I was more concerned that the pubic would now distrust everyone in public office. They mistrust public officials to begin with and the trust in the court would take a big hit."
The judges say they hope this interview will be a step in regaining the public trust in the legal system.
Andy's entire interview will air Thursday at 5:30 on WBRE TV.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Finally, for the first time, local Pennsylvania media coverage mentions PA Child Care owner Gregory Zappala by name. What's up with that? See HERE (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=27039&p=326827#p326827) for an intriguing possible connection between Gregory Zappala and Allegheny District Attorney, Stephen Zappala, Jr.
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Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Juvenile Injustice System (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=72341)
Reported by: Eric Scheiner
Thursday, Feb 26, 2009 @06:53pm EST
WILKES-BARRE -- Corrupt judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan have admitted their guilt in taking kickback money for sending kids to certain juvenile centers. Now there's several different civil lawsuits being filed looking for monetary damages.
The judges are named in these lawsuits as defendants and in some cases, certain businessmen such as the owners of PA Child Care Robert Powell and Gregory Zappala are named as well. Who else should be listed?
This is all fantastic coverage of this Ursus, thank you.
I was wondering if Gregory Zappala, Stephen Zappala Jr. and one of the founding ass-hats of Straight Inc., "Joseph Zappala" are connected or related in any way. That would be interesting.
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I was wondering if Gregory Zappala, Stephen Zappala Jr. and one of the founding ass-hats of Straight Inc., "Joseph Zappala" are connected or related in any way. That would be interesting.
Gregory and Stephen Zappala Jr. of Pennsylvania do appear to be related. Connecting them to Joseph Zappala of Florida is more difficult. In all fairness, "Zappala" is not the most unusual last name.
Personally, I think someone should really look into the construction company that built these two juvenile facilities. Where there's fresh concrete being vested...
Given the shady aspects that have come to light in so many other corners of this whole "Cash For Kids" scenario, I wouldn't be too surprised if it turned out that the construction company was up to their ears in it as well.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Luzerne County Courthouse Corruption Probe Expands (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=72762)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Monday, Mar 2, 2009 @11:37pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- The federal probe into corruption at the Luzerne County courthouse is widening. The I-Team has learned that federal investigators are expanding their investigation.
Sources close to the case tell the I-Team that "target letters" have been sent to several lawyers in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties. Those letters reportedly say they will be questioned about information they may have about corruption within the Luzerne County legal system.
The I-Team has also learned that at least one district justice from Luzerne County has been questioned by federal agents.
All of this comes in the aftermath of the arrest of four high ranking Luzerne County officials. Suspended Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan pled guilty to taking millions in kickbacks in connection with a juvenile detention center in Pittston Township.
Also busted was former Court Administrator William Sharkey, Sr. He admits to stealing $70,000 in seized gambling money. And Sandy Brulo, a Probation Supervisor, is accused of tampering with public records.
The U.S. Attorney's Office will not comment on our information.
And coming up this Thursday at 5:30 it's an I-Team exclusive, a special report called "You Be the Judge."
We will talk with 6 of the remaining Luzerne County judges for the first time since this investigation broke. You will hear how they feel about the case and what they say has to be done to regain the public trust.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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This is about a former judicial colleague that Judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella allegedly railroaded out of the Luzerne County Courthouse not too long ago.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Lokuta Files New Appeal With State Supreme Court (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=72981)
Reported by: Joe Holden
Tuesday, Mar 3, 2009 @05:40pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- There are strong objections to her removal from the Luzerne County bench. Now former Judge Ann Lokuta just escalated the fight, taking her argument to the State Supreme Court.
She's riding the coattails of the county's corruption scandal. Her appeal claims the proceeding against Ann Lokuta from its pursuit to the outcome was so tainted, nothing less than complete exoneration would satisfy justice.
Ann Lokuta believes she was railroaded. Filing hundreds of pages with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, she's renewing a battle to get her job back.
Her appeal alleges case fixing and a web of relationships that amounted to conspiracy. Lokuta claims Judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella manifested a war against her. She alleges the witnesses who testified against her were beholden to a corrupt power structure determined to achieve her dismissal.
The appeal claims President Judge Chester Muroski in 2005 was willing to testify about problems in the juvenile justice system at a county hearing. But it's alleged Muroski had a change of heart.
Testimony from Lokuta's former attorney Sam Stretton reads:
"...Conahan gave Judge Muroski his chambers, allotted $30,000 of repairs, and Muroski won't talk to us anymore..."
"...I want you to see what's happening to people up there... and if we get to trial on this, I know where the bodies are buried up there... you're gonna see the same thing is happening to each person..."[/list]
In Lokuta's trial, there wasn't a mention of bodies or bombshells hardly a suggestion of impropriety at the courthouse. Reached by phone, Muroski said he has no idea why his name appears in Lokuta's appeal. Judge Muroski denied even speaking with Conahan, saying there was no love lost.
The appeal sheds light on actions by Lokuta in 2006 to reveal a federal investigation into the judges. Orders by Judge Richard Sprague of the Court of Judicial Discipline demanded the agents be named in order to testify. Lokuta abandoned the defense, fearing the investigation would be compromised.
Lokuta claims she did not receive a fair trial. Judge Sprague headed the court. The appeal claims Sprague had represented the detention center PA Child Care against an important Lokuta witness. Sprague was asked to recuse himself from the case and refused.
The appeal also suggests Sprague may have been aware of the federal investigation and it is alleged he may have known of:
"…Conahan's ability to influence and pressure individuals..."
"...which makes his (Sprague's) refusal to reopen the case even more concerning..."[/list]
And now all of this goes to the justices of the state Supreme Court for consideration.
Back to Judge Muroski quickly, he provided us with a letter, dating back to 2005. In it, he was blowing the whistle on how money was appropriated in the juvenile justice system.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Controversial Luzerne Co. Probation Program Being Phased Out (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=72952)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Tuesday, Mar 3, 2009 @05:35pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- A controversial probation program in Luzerne County is being phased out. The I-Team first told you about the program last week.
It's called "Crossing Over." It came under fire from several judges who say suspended Judge Mark Ciavarella overstepped his authority. Crossing over is located on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre. It is a halfway house for inmates. They can be sent there when they serve their minimum sentence.
But it became the center of controversy when Judge Ciavarella began sending inmates there without the knowledge of the original sentencing judge.
Judges like Peter Paul Olszweski were angry and concerned since some of those inmates were violent and he felt Ciavarella should have checked with him first before releasing them.
Tuesday the Court en Banc, led by President Judge Chester Muroski, recommended phasing out referrals to Crossing Over.
Last week the I-Team spoke to the owner of Crossing Over who insisted that his record speaks for itself, that they have helped inmates turn their lives around.
Judge Muroski has made it clear that any program the court feels may have "baggage" will be looked at, and if need be, eliminated.
The fate of Central Court is also still up in the air.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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It would be nice to see this sort of thing happening all across the US. I'm sure this area of pennsylvania isn't the only place tainted by this sort of corruption.
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The next set of seven articles comprise a series, of sorts, partially summarizing salient features of the Luzerne County Courthouse Corruption probe from a local perspective. You Be The Judge - An Eyewitness News Special Report can be accessed from the central link (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/news/youbethejudge/), or individually as follows.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Part 1 – How Did We Get Here? (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=73241)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Thursday, Mar 5, 2009 @06:00pm EST
Welcome to our Eyewitness News Special Report, You Be The Judge. We are taking you behind the scenes of the Luzerne County Courthouse. It’s a courthouse under a dark cloud of suspicion, in the midst of a federal corruption investigation.
You'll hear from 6 of the remaining 8 judges, who now have the task of rebuilding the public's faith in the court system. But first, a look back, at how we got to this point.
Rumors became reality on January 27th of this year when high-powered Luzerne County judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella were charged with fraud.
It all had to do with their connection to a juvenile detention center in Pittston Township. The two plead guilty to accepting 2.6 millions dollars in kickbacks to make sure that juveniles were sent to those facilities. Some of these juveniles never had a lawyer and were simply sent away by then President Judge Ciavarella.
"The defendants engaged in fraud by taking millions of dollars from two unnamed persons in connection with the construction and operation and expansion of juvenile detention facilities here in Luzerne County and elsewhere," said U.S. Attorney Martin Carlson on January 26th.
We have since learned that the kickback money was sent to businesses they had a connection with. Conahan and Ciavarella will serve at least 7 years in prison, be disbarred from the practice of law and pay restitution.
But above all, the highest price they paid, most agree, is the violation of the public trust. "When a judge violates this oath, when a judge violates the solemn vow, the judge violates the right to an honest services the judge violates the law," added Carlson.
Both judges will face a formal sentencing in several months. Most legal experts say the aftermath of their arrest will impact the Luzerne County Courthouse for years to come.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Part 2 – Who Are the Other Judges? (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=73242)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Thursday, Mar 5, 2009 @05:59pm EST
The Eyewitness News I-Team invited all 8 of the remaining judges to sit down and talk about how the corruption at the courthouse. Let's meet the 6 judges who were able to join us.
First up is Judge Joseph Augello. The Pittston-area native has been a lawyer for 30 years. He was appointed to the bench in 1990 and then was elected in 1991 and retained in 2001. He also served as a district justice for 15 years before becoming a judge.
Judge Thomas Burke is 62 years old and is from West Pittston. He has been practicing law for 25 years. He was appointed to the bench in 1998 when Correale Stevens was elected to the state Superior Court. He is up for retention.
Also taking part is Judge Dave Lupas, who hails from the Plains Township area. The 44-year-old was elected to the bench in 2008. He was the Luzerne County District Attorney from 1999 to 2008.
President Judge Chester Muroski is 69 years old and has been a lawyer since 1966. He was the District Attorney for four years and was elected to the bench in 1982. He was elected President Judge in January after this federal probe broke.
We will also talk with Judge Joseph Musto. The Pittston-area native is 66 years old. He's been a member of the bar since the mid 1960s. He was appointed to the bench when Judge Michael Conahan unexpectedly retired in 2008. He is now running for that seat.
And finally Judge Peter Paul Olszewski. The 49-year-old is from Wilkes-Barre. He has been a lawyer since 1984. Olszewski served as District Attorney from 1992 to 1999, when he was elected judge. He is also up for retention.
We also invited Judge Hugh Mundy and Judge Michael Toole. Mundy had a personal commitment that day and Judge Toole was involved in a trial.
The judges, by law, could not talk about details of the investigation. But, they could talk about how the scandal affects them, and the future of the court, in the midst of this scandal.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Part 3 – What Was Your Reaction? (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=73251)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Thursday, Mar 5, 2009 @05:58pm EST
It is a rare sight. Six judges being interviewed inside a courtroom. They insist its all part of regaining the public trust in the midst of an unfolding federal investigation. Andy asked the judges, "When those rumors became reality, what were you thinking personally?"
Judge Burke responded, "Initially my concern was the institution of the judiciary, that the court system will continue while under attack, and that it would be paramount importance that the remaining members of the bench gather together to restore public trust and confidence in the courts."
"First of all I was shocked by the sheer breadth of the allegations, but I was more concerned with understanding that the public would now distrust everyone in public office. There's an underlying mistrust in public office to begin with. And with the current situation in court, now I was concerned how we could inspire public trust and confidence back in the court. I knew it was going to take a big hit," said Judge Augello.
Judge Joseph Musto answered, "I was absolutely shocked by again, references have been made about the breadth of the allegations, I just could not understand how two individuals in the position they had achieved would do something like they did."
"I think the realization that we had to get over the initial shock move forward and try and restore and instill public confidence in our system here in Luzerne County," described Lupas.
President Judge Chester Muroski says it's all about transparency. "I think we, as a body, demonstrated to the public that we are not separate judges. We are a true Court en Banc which as you've said in my memory didn't exist before we operated as a unit, as a body. One man rule no longer exists in this county," he said.
Many people have been outraged by the actions of Ciavarella and Conahan. The two men violated the trust of the people and abused their power as judges.
As their former colleagues tell us, they're also dealing with the betrayal. We'll hear more on how the actions of the disgraced judges have personally affected them in Part 4 of You Be The Judge.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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man... the shit is still hitting the fan. I would have thought this would have died down by now.
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man... the shit is still hitting the fan. I would have thought this would have died down by now.
It's getting bigger. Judges Ciavarella and Conahan had a number of dummy corporations that were used to hide the cash by transferring it through a couple of times before it got deposited into their accounts. One of those companies is based in Jupiter, Florida; Pinnacle is the name.
Gregory Zappala (owner of the two juvie facilities) is also an Attorney. I've got a pretty strong hunch that he is immediate family or once removed from the Allegheny District Attorney's Stephen Zappala Jr. He and Robert Powell (former co-owner) have partnered on a number of projects. The change of hands meant nothing; business continued as usual.
And the construction company, Mericle? The owner gives huge donations to Republican candidates in the area, people whose names seem to crop up with obscure connections to this whole scam. Additionally, the mystery lawyer named as co-defendant "Joe Doe" in the lawsuit (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=27039&p=327841#p327406) posted by Samantka is probably the CFO of this company.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Part 4 – Do You Feel Betrayed? (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=73261)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Thursday, Mar 5, 2009 @05:57pm EST
The arrests of Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan made national news. People were outraged by the extent of abuse exercised by the disgraced judges, all in the name of greed.
The judges we spoke with say the corrupt behavior of their former colleagues has affected them professionally and personally. In fact, the word "betrayal" came up often.
All of these judges either worked with or had contact with disgraced Judges Micheal Conahan and Mark Ciavarella. For them, it's personal. Andy asks, Do you feel betrayed? They wore the robe like you. They didn't live up to their oath."
Judge Augello responded, "Hurt would be more appropriate than betrayed. They betrayed themselves and betrayed the public, so in a sense I feel as betrayed as everyone else feels. I worked with these individuals, I trusted them as colleagues. In that respect there’s a little bit of a degree of anger there."
"I think hurt, a lot I think. Many of us feel the same way, as every other member of the public feels. We live here, it’s our communities. We feel as the general public feels," said Judge Lupas.
President Judge Chester Muroski said, "Right now Andy it's difficult for us to make a stride on the street without some citizen looking at us, knowing who we are, and that thought is in their mind. We've said it before, is this judge like the rest of the judges? We have to straighten this mess out."
And all of the judges insist, people who appear before them can expect fairness and honesty. Judge Peter Paul Olszewski said, "It's very important for the public to know the black, dark cloud that has fallen on top of this courthouse, all the evil that black cloud represents, has not made its way into our courtrooms. There is a level playing field. No results are preordained or predetermined."
And the stigma of corruption may be hard to get rid of. These judges say their mission is to make sure it never happens again. But they are realistic. A tarnished name, a bad reputation, is hard to overcome. "Where as a reputation can take a lifetime to build, it can virtually be destroyed in a single incident single matter. Collectively I dare say we share the view that the reputation of our court system is in serious jeopardy. We are committed to rebuilding the foundation of that court system, matter by matter, and it will take considerable time to make that happen," said Judge Burke.
The full extent of the damage left behind by the corruption at the Luzerne County Courthouse hasn't been determined. People are questioning how wide spread the corruption is within the courthouse. In Part 5 of You Be The Judge, find out how the public's opinion could affect the future of some of the judges.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Part 5 – Are You Worried About Retention? (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=73262)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Thursday, Mar 5, 2009 @05:56pm EST
The Luzerne County judges who remain on the bench now have to pick up the pieces as the federal corruption probe moves on. Three of the judges are seeking retention, but they're concerned they could be rejected by an angry public.
All of these judges say they want to regain the public trust in the court system. But for three of them, Judge Olszewski, Judge Musto and Judge Burke, that trust, or lack of, could mean the end of their judicial career.
Andy asks, "Are you concerned about guilt by association? No matter what you say here, in public or the courtroom, people will say they are just like the other two guys. What are they hiding? Are you concerned about that?"
Olszewski said, "I'm concerned right now that emotions of the public are riding high. But I ask the public for them to assume the role of judge, I want the public to be the judge. I want the public to judge me upon my years and record of public service,”
Judge Thomas Burke said, "I fully understand that the public is angry, justifiably angry. I'm mindful that in theory that can have an impact on any candidate for retention during this particular year. Beyond that, I'm hopeful the public overtime will be more discriminating than to simply go by emotions alone, guilt by association. They indeed need to scrutinize the record of individual judges."
Judge Musto added, "I think it’s very unfair to brush everybody with the same brush, because I think in that fashion, some good people are going to be swept aside. I would hope the citizens would look at each person and see what they're doing."
Judge Muroski is urging voters to take a good hard look at all of those who would be judge. The future of the court is at stake. "I want the public to look at those candidates. Not look at who runs the biggest ads, nicest ads, how they run. Look at their background, their experience, the personality of who’s running for vacancies," he said.
And Judge Musto is in a unique position. He has a different perspective. Musto was defeated by Judge Conahan in a hard-fought campaign for the bench back in 1993. In 2008 Judge Conahan unexpectedly retired from that seat. Sources say it was because he knew he was under federal investigation.
Musto was appointed to fill that seat and has now decided to run for that position. "It's very ironic. I'm sitting in the same position. I would like to know what would have happened if I was elected in 1993. Things would be different. I am not going to look back. I had a lot to offer in 1993. I'm looking forward," he said.
The corruption at the courthouse has people questioning the integrity of all the judges in Luzerne County. However, these judges are determined to regain the public's trust and support. Part of their plan to restore faith in the system is to encourage more people to sit in their courtrooms. The judges tell us more about restoring the reputation of the Luzerne County court system in Part 6 of You Be The Judge.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Part 6 – How Do You Restore Public Trust (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/news/youbethejudge/details/?cid=73271)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Thursday, Mar 5, 2009 @05:55pm EST
The corruption at the Luzerne County Courthouse has left a black cloud over the dome. In this last segment, the judges talk about the future. Can the Luzerne County court system survive this corruption scandal?
These judges say they are determined to restore the public trust and confidence in the Luzerne County court system. They sat down with Eyewitness News to show the public that there is no vale of secrecy over the courthouse. From here on in, even as the federal probe continues, this is a very different courthouse. It’s an open and transparent courthouse.
Judge Thomas Burke said, "I'd like to believe the same justice system that's been tarnished can be relied upon to readdress the wrongs that many think have occurred. I would emphasize to the community that fairness and impartiality is the resolve of all my colleagues."
"Sometimes it’s said turn a negative into a positive. Right now a very big negative is staring everyone in the face. But I hope that and am confident that, in the long run, it may take a long time, positives can come out of this,” said Lupas.
Judge Augello said, "Over the course of the entire American democracy there have been people who violated their oath. But the system is a strong system, constitutional system, it will prevail. People can have trust in their institutions."
"In order to regain the trust and confidence of the public, this must be a sustained effort, must be a determined effort, one that’s not just going to be done over a short period of time. It must be done over a long period of time. We have to invite the public into our courtroom. I invite the public in to judge what we do to scrutinize our decisions."
President Judge Chester Muroski says he is determined to keep the doors of the courthouse open, now and in the future. "We need to have the public come in. Please look at us. Look at us closely. I made the statement the day I was sworn in, if we're remiss in any of our responsibilities we should be held accountable," he said.
These judges say, judge them on what they do and not the actions or misdeeds of others. "Measure their performances. Measure whether they have lived up to commitments they made when they took the oath of office, when they committed to be fair and impartial, when they committed to uphold the rule of the law. And I try to remind myself everyday," said Burke.
And Muroski says their record, in a brief 30 days or so, shows that the practices of the past, the one man rule, is over. "We've come a long way. The budget impasse has been settled. We exceeded the goal that was put before us of 1.9 million dollars to reduce our staff and our expenditures. We're up to something like 2.3 million. We have laid off, dispensed with 56 positions. We have settled the conflict counsel issue in that we have gone back to a salary situation, that is still under study. We have studied central court. We have gone so far as to change the reassessment. This is not just one of us doing all of this. It’s all of us acting together as a body. That's our goal, and to inspire in our citizens we are trying doing the best we can."
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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This is the last article in that 7-part series.
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Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Part 7 – Who's Next? (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=73272)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Thursday, Mar 5, 2009 @05:54pm EST
This federal investigation is far from over. Our sources say more arrests are coming. So where do we go from here?
Suspended Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan plead guilty to fraud charges and face at least 87 months, that's just over 7 years, in a federal prison. They will be sentenced later this summer. For now they remain free on bail.
There are other players as this investigation continues. Former Court Administrator William Sharkey senior faces 10 years in prison and will pay restitution after pleading guilty to stealing $70,000 in seized gambling money. Sharkey has agreed to give up his pension. He will also be sentenced sometime in the summer and remains free on bail.
Sandy Brulo, a former supervisor in the Luzerne County Juvenile Probation Office, is charged with tampering with public records. She faces at least 10 years in prison for altering a juvenile record, a record that was subpoenaed as part of a lawsuit field on behalf of several juveniles. She faces 20 years in prison. A hearing in federal court is set for March 20th. She is free on bail.
And Luzerne County Prothonatary Jill Moran is cooperating with federal authorities. She contacted the U.S. Attorney's Office and said she was being used by others to commit fraud and was aware of possible criminal activity. She could face charges if investigators determine she is giving them false information. Moran will resign her county position March 13th.
The I-Team has also learned that target letters have been sent to as many as 10 lawyers in Luzerne County. Sources say they will be questioned in this probe. We've also learned at least one Luzerne County District Justice has been interviewed by the FBI as well as three Luzerne County judges.
While the federal corruption investigation continues, the I-Team will keep you updated as this story continues to unfold.
All the judges agree regaining the public trust will not be easy, but they are committed to making it happen. In the end it's you, the voters, who will decide if they've succeeded. You be the judge.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Luzerne County Corruption Scandal Update (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=74621)
Friday, Mar 13, 2009 @09:42pm EST
Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County -
Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan came to federal court in Scranton in February to plead guilty to fraud. They admit to taking millions of dollars in kickbacks in connection with the construction and operation of the juvenile detention center in Pittston Township. The F.B.I. calls it a "Cash for Kids scheme". They face at least 7 years in prison.
Both judges had to resign within 10 days of their sentencing, which won't happen for several months. But on Thursday, Ciavarella sent this letter to the governor's office. It was a one line statement saying he would resign at the close of business, Monday March 16th.
Today was also the last day on the job for Luzerne County Prothonotary Jill Moran. She is cooperating with federal authorities and agreed to resign today. She contacted the U.S. attorney's office saying she was aware of fraud and other criminal activity by others. She could face charges if investigators believe she is lying to them. She has agreed to take a lie detector test as she works with federal authorities.
The I-team has also learned that F.B.I. agents were once again in the Luzerne County courthouse this week interviewing several court employees. Sources close to the case tell us those interviews had to do with civil cases and arbitration cases.
None of this comes as a surprise. Valerie Landers, of Wilkes-Barre says, "People are suffering over their greed. It’s a money thing. It's greed that's what it is."
We also learned today that the judge appointed to review juvenile cases was handled by Civarella. He has sent recommendations to the state supreme court. The question is many of those teenagers were sent away without being represented by a lawyer.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
New Faces Take Over in Luzerne County (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=74922)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Monday, Mar 16, 2009 @05:29pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- More evidence of sweeping changes in Luzerne County's legal system stemming from the investigation into corruption at Luzerne County Courthouse.
Two Luzerne County Prison Board members were sworn into service Monday morning. Luzerne County President Judge Chester Muroski administered the oath to Chester Zaremba and Charles Erickson. Both are now civilian members of the board.
The men were chosen from more than 20 applicants. Luzerne County prison's been the center of controversy ranging from no-bid contracts to overcrowding.
And Luzerne County's new acting Prothonotary was also sworn into office. 38-year-old Elizabeth Decker of Conyngham takes over the office vacated by Jill Moran.
Moran agreed last month with federal prosecutors to resign from office and cooperate with investigators looking into corruption at the courthouse. Documents show Moran voluntarily came forward claiming others tried to use her to carry out fraudulent acts.
She's not charged with any crime and denies any wrongdoing.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Latest in Luzerne County Corruption Investigation (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=75191)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2009 @05:33pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- President Judge Chester Muroski announced Luzerne County Court is asking state court officials to investigate all financial Wilkes-Barre court transactions.
Muroski also called on Governor Rendell to fill the bench seat left vacant by Mark Ciavarella's resignation.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Luzerne Co. Probation Worker to Plead Guilty (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=75181)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2009 @05:32pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- A suspended Luzerne County probation worker has agreed to plead guilty in connection with corruption at the courthouse.
Federal authorities announced 56-year-old Sandy Brulo will plead guilty to a felony obstruction of justice charge. She's also agreed to cooperate with federal investigators.
Federal agents say Brulo tampered with juvenile records in her job as forensic program director at probation services. That office worked closely with former judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan.
Investigators say the altered records would have been used by federal investigators in a future court hearing.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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If people keep "cooperating" we may never hear the end of this corruption. Seems like the whole system there in Luzerne Co. is part of this.
I wonder where the next Luzerne, PA will be? Probably not in Texas, Florida or Utah seeing as how those states seem to protect corruption.
bump.
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If people keep "cooperating" we may never hear the end of this corruption. Seems like the whole system there in Luzerne Co. is part of this.
I wonder where the next Luzerne, PA will be? Probably not in Texas, Florida or Utah seeing as how those states seem to protect corruption.
Well, here's an article re. a neighboring county in Pennsylvania taking steps to ensure that they won't be the next "Luzerne County," lol...
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Monroe Co. Announces Plan to Avoid Scandals (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=76051)
Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Monday, Mar 23, 2009 @04:35pm EST
STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY - The Luzerne County judge scandal has many people worried about the integrity of the judicial system. People in Monroe County are doing their best to make sure all six people running for judge are honest.
Two judges plead guilty of corruption and the scandal echoes across the state. "We were distraught about it," said Alexander Bensinger of Monroe County.
When Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciaverella and Michael Conahan admitted to scandal people in Monroe county wanted to make sure nothing like it would ever happen in the Poconos. "It highlighted the need for something to be done now," said attorney Mary Louis Parker.
The Monroe County Bar Association formed a judicial evaluation committee. It will examine all candidates for an open Monroe County Judge position. Parker, the Vice Chairperson, explained, "This is an open, honest, and in depth attempt to evaluate these judicial candidates."
The candidates will undergo a criminal background check and a reference check. They'll also have to answer several pages of questions. In addition to that paperwork, they'll have to submit their tax returns, a list of their assets and other business interests.
Bensinger, the Committee Chairperson said that would help find, "Whether they'd have greater temptation to steal money to make wrong decisions."
Five lawyers sit on the board along with four community members. Rich Berkowitz said, "You can't rely on the courts, you don't believe in justice and if justice is corrupt - who do you believe in?"
Committee member Wayne Bolt said, "We just want to pick a good and honest judge for our area here."
The board will make recommendations about each candidate before the May primary. Those are suggestions on who people should vote for. It has no impact on whether or not candidates are allowed to remain on the ballot.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Supreme Court Stops Election to Fill Lokuta's Seat (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=76412)
Reported by: Joe Holden
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009 @06:05pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- The state Supreme Court has halted an election to fill the Luzerne County judicial seat of Ann Lokuta.
She was removed from the bench last year and filed a document earlier this month to block the election.
The Supreme Court also ordered the Court of Judicial Discipline to consider whether it should reopen Lokuta's case. That's because three of the witnesses against her pleaded guilty in an ongoing federal corruption probe at the Luzerne County Courthouse.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Woo-weee! It's about time! Unbelievable that Ciavarella and Conahan are still running around free on bail though...
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Ciavarella Cases To Be Reversed, Erased (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=76562)
Reported by: Joe Holden
Thursday, Mar 26, 2009 @10:26pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Thousands of cases could be reversed and eventually expunged, according to Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll. Her office has been ordered to review all juvenile case dispositions by ex-Judge Mark Ciavarella from 2003 to 2008.
The Pa. Supreme Court issued the order Thursday directing prosecutors to determine if there could be more victims caught up in one of the worst judicial scandals. Ciavarella and fellow ex-Judge Michael Conahan pleaded guilty last month to charges they masterminded an incarceration scheme that sent juveniles to privately owned facilities in exchange for cash, $2.6 million to be exact. Musto-Carroll said her office will be forced to assign two assistant district attorneys and two support staff personnel to handle the order. She described the assignment "substantial and voluminous."
The order identifies guidelines for determining those juveniles who qualify for the emergency relief.
Ciavarella and Conahan remain free on bail pending the completion of a pre-sentencing report.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Governor Asked to Put Ciavarella's Seat on May Ballot (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=77022)
Reported by: Eyewitness News
Monday, Mar 30, 2009 @03:10pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Luzerne County President Judge Chester Muroski wants former Judge Mark Ciaverella's seat on the Primary Election ballot.
Judge Muroski sent governor Ed Rendell a letter Friday. The request comes after former Judge Ann Lokuta's seat was taken off the ballot last week. The position was withdrawn pending her appeal of the ruling that removed her from office.
Ciavarella's resignation came too late for his seat to be placed on the ballot. Judge Muroski made the request given the unusual circumstances in Luzerne County.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
The I-Team Catches Up With Mark Ciavarella (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=78402)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Wednesday, Apr 8, 2009 @06:15pm EST
The I-Team tracked down disgraced Judge Mark Ciavarella Wednesday. Ciavarella was at the Scranton Federal Courthouse to talk with probation officials.
Ciavarella plead guilty in a "kids for cash" scheme. He is accused of taking some $2.6 million in kickback to send kids to a private juvenile detention center.
Another judge, Michael Conahan, is also facing similar charges. The case has captured worldwide attention.
Up until now Ciavarella has never spoken to local media. That changed Wednesday when the I-Team's Andy Mehalshick caught up with him outside court.
Ciavarella wouldn't say much, only that his attorney had advised him not to make any formal statements. "Andy at this point I can't make any comment. I've been told by my attorney that it's in my best interests not to make any statements. I'm following his advice thank you," he said.
When asked about statements he made to national and international media about not 'selling kids,' that there was no 'kids for cash scheme,' Ciavarella answered, "The statement was the statement. I've been told by my attorney since I made that statement I best not say anything."
He said he looks forward to a day when he can talk about the allegations. "I'll have my opportunity to respond relative to these accusations that have been made. I look forward to that day when it's appropriate. I'll have a statement then. I'll be glad to express my feelings rated to these issues," Ciavarella said.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Corruption Story Featured in People (http://http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=78562)
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Thursday, Apr 9, 2009 @07:00pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- The probe into corruption at the Luzerne County Courthouse is once again gaining national attention. People Magazine did a feature story this past week.
The magazine details the allegations against former judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan. It also highlights some of the teenagers who say they were sent away to detention for no good reason.
Ciavarella and Conahan admit to taking kickbacks in what prosecutors call a "kids for cash" scheme.
Copyright (c) 1998 - 2009 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
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Our cooperators over at Minors in residential placement research center has issued this press-release (http://http://minorsshouldbesafe.weebly.com/1/post/2011/08/press-release-judgment-day-in-the-kids-for-cash-case.html):
Judgment day in the Kids for Cash case
For many years Luzerne County in Pennsylvania was known for its strict policy against juvenile crime. It was a model for those who plea for justice and a fight for less crime among adolescents.
But it did turn out that the tough sentences had nothing to do with a wish to fight crime. It was all done for greed. The owners of boot camps, wilderness programs and other residential options had paid the judges to impose tougher sentences.
Children charged with only minor crimes were put in prison taken out of courts in handcuffs and shackles as they had murdered several persons. It is needless to say how what was supposed to be a lecture in right and wrong instead turned out to be a life-changing turning point in the lives of every of the children who were put through this experience.
Many suffered for years feeling being permanent branded as criminals and some did later take their own lives.
The Pennsylvania Kids-for-Cash scandal is now well-known in our culture. An episode of Law- and Order was broadcasted world over letting everyone know how dangerous a system where minors are placed in various residential options without proper political supervision can be. Still in many countries audit of systems where case workers and judges have sole control with the faith of children and especially who they will grant the care of a specific child is basically missing.
The people we citizens vote into office must see to that they supervise the structure. They need to watch how money exchange hands very carefully. They must demand results and move out of their chair and visit children placed outside their home.
The hidden money transactions are not only a problem for Pennsylvania. As far away as Denmark and Sweden you can see stories in the media about children placed in public care which are abused and mistreated in group homes and in the foster care system - Cases where reports of alleged abuse have entered the system for over 20 years only to disappear.
The politicians should have asked to obvious question: Who caused these report to disappear? Who forgets to report when two minors at a group home have sexual encounters? In a country like Denmark it is reported that such encounters take place twice at month. Children aged down to 7 are abused by older children and the employees of the group homes are not educated to treat the victims who in extreme cases can cause them to grow up and become abusers themselves.
But the politicians have failed their jobs. They have not asked to have put every single contract between their administration and group homes and foster families on the table so they can discover suspicious patterns. We are talking huge amounts which are changing hands.
It is time for the citizens to step up and write the persons they have elected for office to ask them to dig into this area not leaving it up to a closed circuit of deals made in the dark.
Today it is judgment day in the Pennsylvania Kids-for-Cash scandal, but tomorrow it should be judgment day for all sick systems with the potential of corruption and possible damage of children’s lives.
Source:
Parents: Give him the max (http://http://www.timesleader.com/news/Parents__Give_him_the_max_08-10-2011.html) (The Times Leader, August 11, 2011)
For more information please see Wikipedia's article about this case (http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal) until Fornits Wiki's entry is online again.
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Pa. judge gets 28 years in 'kids for cash' case
http://http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/pa-judge-gets-28-1097263.html#.TkQxB9DimYM.email
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
The Associated Press
SCRANTON, Pa. — A northeastern Pennsylvania judge was ordered Thursday to spend nearly three decades in prison for his role in a massive bribery scandal that prompted the state's high court to toss thousands of juvenile convictions and left lasting scars on the children who appeared in his courtroom and their hapless families.
Former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella Jr. was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for taking a $1 million bribe from the builder of a pair of juvenile detention centers in a case that became known as "kids for cash."
Ciavarella, who denied locking up youths for money, had no reaction as the sentence was announced. From the gallery, which was crowded with family members of some of the children he incarcerated, someone shouted "Woo hoo!"
In the wake of the scandal, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned about 4,000 convictions issued by Ciavarella between 2003 and 2008, saying he violated the constitutional rights of the juveniles, including the right to legal counsel and the right to intelligently enter a plea.
Ciavarella, 61, was tried and convicted of racketeering earlier this year. His attorneys had asked for a "reasonable" sentence in court papers, saying, in effect, that he'd already been punished enough.
"The media attention to this matter has exceeded coverage given to many and almost all capital murders, and despite protestation, he will forever be unjustly branded as the 'Kids for Cash' judge," their sentencing memo said.
Al Flora, Ciavarella's lawyer, called the sentence harsher than expected. The ex-judge surrendered immediately but it was not immediately known where he would serve his time. He plans to appeal both his conviction and sentence.
Ciavarella, in a 15-minute speech before the sentence was handed down, apologized to his family, the Luzerne County bar and the community — and to those juveniles who appeared before him in his court. He called himself a hypocrite who failed to practice what he preached.
"I blame no one but myself for what happened," he said.
Then, in an extraordinary turnabout, Ciavarella attacked the government's case as well as the conclusions of the state Supreme Court and the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice, a state panel that investigated the scandal. Both said Ciavarella engaged in wholesale rights violations over a period of many years.
Ciavarella denied it.
"I did everything I was obligated to do protect these children's rights," he said.
He also criticized Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Zubrod for referring to the case as "kids for cash," saying it sank his reputation. (Zubrod said outside court that he doesn't remember ever calling it that.)
"He backdoored me, and I never saw it coming. Those three words made me the personification of evil," Ciavarella said. "They made me toxic and caused a public uproar the likes of which this community has never seen."
In court, Zubrod said Ciavarella had "verbally abused and cruelly mocked children he sent away after violating their rights." He called the ex-judge "vicious and mean-spirited" and asked U.S. District Judge Edwin M. Kosik to punish Ciavarella's "profound evil" with a life sentence.
"The criminal justice system (in Luzerne County) is ruined and will not recover in our lifetimes," Zubrod added.
Federal prosecutors accused Ciavarella and a second judge, Michael Conahan, of taking more than $2 million in bribes from Robert Mericle, the builder of the PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care detention centers, and of extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from Robert Powell, the facilities' co-owner.
Ciavarella, known for his harsh and autocratic courtroom demeanor, pocketed the cash while filling the beds of the private lockups with children as young as 10, many of them first-time offenders convicted of petty theft and other minor crimes. Ciavarella often ordered youths he had found delinquent to be immediately shackled, handcuffed and taken away without giving them a chance to say goodbye to their families.
"Frankly, I don't think Ciavarella or Conahan themselves really personally cared where the juveniles went, as long as they could use their power to place the juveniles as leverage or control over Mericle and Powell," U.S. Attorney Peter Smith said Thursday.
Speaking of Ciavarella, Smith added: "There's no true remorse and there's a blind unwillingness to admit the overall seriousness of his conduct."
The jury returned a mixed verdict following a February trial, convicting Ciavarella of 12 counts, including racketeering and conspiracy, and acquitting him of 27 counts, including extortion. The guilty verdicts related to a payment of $997,600 from Mericle.
Conahan pleaded guilty last year and awaits sentencing.
Sandy Fonzo, whose son committed suicide last year at the age of 23 after bouncing in and out of Ciavarella's courtroom, said Thursday that justice was done.
"This judge was wrong, what he did to my son, what he did to all of our children, what he did to our families, and today proves that," said Fonzo, who dramatically confronted Ciavarella on the courthouse steps earlier this year.
Susan Mishanski also applauded the sentence. Ciavarella had ordered her son to spend three months in a wilderness camp for scuffling with another kid.
"They did not even tell him where they were taking him. It was like someone kidnapped my son," she said. "It was awful."
Ciavarella and Conahan initially pleaded guilty in February 2009 to honest services fraud and tax evasion in a deal that called for a sentence of more than seven years in prison. But their plea deals were rejected by Kosik, who ruled they had failed to accept responsibility for their actions.
:beat:
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Oh it is nice to see some justice served. This really shows how underhanded the private sector is when it applies to management of teen prisons. Not to mention private programs and prisons for adults.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwI5ufaI3kE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwI5ufaI3kE)
And one mother is really pissed, she has every right to scream...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCExlbGTX_M (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCExlbGTX_M)
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/ ... 0762.shtml (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/23/ap/business/main20110762.shtml)
Ex-judge gets 17 1/2 years in Pa. kickbacks case
September 23, 2011 12:31 PM
(AP) SCRANTON, Pa. — A former judge who orchestrated a massive kickback scheme involving for-profit youth detention centers was sentenced Friday to 17 1/2 years in federal prison, closing a major chapter on a scandal that prosecutors said shook Pennsylvania's judicial system "to its very foundation."
Appearing in a federal courtroom in Scranton, former Luzerne County President Judge Michael Conahan, 59, apologized to the incarcerated youths, the legal community and the public for his role in the notorious "kids for cash" case.
"The system is not corrupt," said Conahan. "I was corrupt."
Conahan, a once-powerful man who regularly met for breakfast with the reputed boss of a northeastern Pennsylvania Mafia family, offered a direct apology to the children who spent time in a pair of youth lockups from which he and another former judge derived millions of dollars.
"My actions undermined your faith in the system and contributed to the difficulty in your lives," said Conahan, who pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy last year. "I am sorry you were victimized."
Federal prosecutors said Conahan and former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella Jr. took more than $2 million in bribes from the builder of the PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care detention centers and extorted hundreds of thousands of dollars from the facilities' co-owner.
Ciavarella took the case to trial and was convicted of some of the charges. He was sentenced last month to 28 years in prison.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned about 4,000 juvenile convictions after Ciavarella and Conahan were charged, saying that Ciavarella, who presided over juvenile court, routinely trampled on youths' constitutional rights in his eagerness to send them to the for-profit jails.
Unlike Ciavarella, who denied jailing youths for money and defiantly attacked the government's case at his sentencing, Conahan accepted responsibility, Assistant U.S. Attorney William Houser acknowledged Friday. But he said Conahan's crimes required a stiff sentence.
"Mr. Conahan abused his power to enrich himself and his friend, Mark Ciavarella," Houser said. "The justice system in Pennsylvania was shaken to its very foundation."
Ciavarella and Conahan initially pleaded guilty in February 2009 to honest services fraud and tax evasion in a deal that would have required them to spend more than seven years in prison. But their plea deals were rejected later that year by U.S. District Judge Edwin M. Kosik, who ruled they had failed to accept responsibility for their actions.
Conahan's attorney, Philip Gelso, told Kosik on Friday that his client was a changed man from two years ago.
Conahan got counseling from a psychologist who helped him face his repressed "lifelong demons," many of them having to do with his father, a funeral director and former mayor of Hazleton, Pa., who dominated his son and made him feel insecure, incompetent and inadequate, Gelso said.
Gelso recounted an episode in which a teenage Conahan was "beaten mercilessly" when he failed to tend to the funeral home's coal stove.
"These factors excuse nothing, but they explain a great deal," Gelso said.
Conahan, who had faced up to 20 years behind bars, had requested a prison term similar to the seven-plus years Kosik rejected two years ago. Gelso said outside the court that Conahan was "bitterly disappointed" by the 17 1/2-year sentence but that it would not be appealed.
"There's a stark contract between Mark Ciavarella and Mike Conahan. Mark Ciavarella fought this tooth and nail. Mark Ciavarella antagonized all of you, antagonized every child, every juvenile," Gelso told reporters. "But Mike Conahan didn't do that. Mike Conahan realized that people need to heal."
In sentencing Conahan, Kosik spoke of the deep-rooted political culture that produced him, one in which corruption is tacitly accepted. The federal government's four-year investigation of public corruption in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties has snared more than 30 people, including state lawmakers, county officials, school board members and others.
In a letter to Kosik, Conahan's sister recalled their father, dealing with a long-ago ethics investigation, couldn't understand why it was wrong to award a contract to a friend. Kosik said Conahan probably felt the same way about the juvenile-center kickbacks: "That everyone would benefit and no one would get hurt."
Investigators disclosed earlier this year that they were led to the judges by reputed mob boss William D'Elia, who became a government informant after his 2006 arrest on charges of witness tampering and conspiracy to launder drug money. He and Conahan regularly met for breakfast.
Kosik recommended that Conahan be placed in a federal prison camp in Florida so he can be close to his family.
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Judge Ciavarella, Vision Quest, rape, psychiatric medication and 14 year old girl...
All included in this personal essay written by a former Pennsylvania investigative journalist.
http://www.themorningnews.org/article/t ... od?mid=535 (http://www.themorningnews.org/article/the-demands-of-cold-blood?mid=535)
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Thanks for posting that, Tony!
What an incredible story. A story of how "average folk" in this country have been systematically exploited and destroyed ... all due to the greed and appetite for power of those who are in a position to do so: public servants vested with the public trust, "experts" in rehabilitation, etc. etc. What a disgraceful sham!
Here's that article, for posterity's sake:
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The Morning News
PERSONAL ESSAYS · Nov 8, 2011
The Demands of Cold Blood (http://http://www.themorningnews.org/article/the-demands-of-cold-blood?mid=535)
by John Davidson
When a crime reporter is told an outlandish account, his first obligation is to establish the facts. But when the story turns out to be far more shocking—a conspiracy, in fact, of appalling darkness—it can knock his sense of duty until it cracks.
The letter on my desk was from a family, a husband and wife. They had written to me after reading a short news article I'd done about a 26-year-old convicted child molester who had been arrested that week and charged with raping a 14-year-old girl. The girl was their daughter. She had been raped by the man two months earlier but had been locked away in juvenile detention for more than a month—longer than her attacker had been in custody.
Their story seemed unbelievable to me. They claimed that a local judge had sent their daughter to a private juvenile detention facility hundreds of miles away from their home in northeast Pennsylvania without notifying them. She had been on probation for a simple assault charge the year before (a mild altercation with a neighbor), and when she showed up to school intoxicated a week after she was raped, she was arrested for violating the conditions of her probation. The parents also claimed that she'd had no legal representation at the time of the sentencing. Like most reporters, I have a knee-jerk skepticism about people and their problems, especially people who write letters to newsrooms, and it didn't seem possible that this had really happened—at least not in the way they described it.
The couple wanted to meet with me and explain everything in hopes of getting their daughter's case reconsidered, or getting her moved closer to home. I thought meeting with them was a bad idea. Even if they were telling the truth, I didn't have time to investigate Luzerne County's juvenile justice system and I didn't want to promise them a story or an outcome I couldn't deliver. And if even half of what they'd written were true, then they had suffered enough without some reporter dragging their private tragedy into public.
But I agreed to meet with them anyway, out of a mixture of pity and curiosity. I had been a reporter long enough not to act on pity alone or let my pity push me into advocacy journalism, which I eschewed. It was my curiosity that tipped the scales; something didn't add up—especially if their story were true—and I wanted to find out what it was. They wanted me to come to their home, a small house off a narrow street stacked in with other small houses on a steep hill a few towns away. I rarely went to people's homes unless there was a fire or a shooting, and I almost never went inside. Most people don't want reporters in their house; we're bad omens.
As soon as I stepped out of my car, I didn't want to go into their house. It was a typical working-class neighborhood in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.—cracked streets and crumbling houses and overcast skies. I knew I could not help these desperate people who were suddenly standing in front of me, ushering me in. They took me through a yellowish kitchen and down a dark hallway into a low-lit living room with a couch covered with afghans and pillows. Their other, younger daughter peeked her head out of a doorway and then withdrew. I was ashamed to be there, and took out my notebook and turned on my tape recorder to create some distance between us, to signify that I was all business and this was all on-record and I was not necessarily an ally. But when I sat down the couch swallowed me like I was settling in to watch a movie, and I had to struggle out of it and perch myself on the edge of the cushion and lean forward precariously, pen and notebook in hand, just to maintain a professional appearance.
"Thank you so much for coming. We just don't know what to do anymore," the mother said as we all got settled. She was a large woman with a worried face. Her husband was tall and thick-limbed and sat staring at the floor while his wife explained everything.
Their daughter had showed up to school one morning drunk and sobbing, and claimed she had been raped the week before. She named her attacker to school officials and the police, but because she was on probation she was arrested for being intoxicated and locked up in juvenile detention. No one offered her counseling and no one asked about the sexual assault until, four days later, the district attorney requested a written affidavit about the attack. She wrote an account by hand while still incarcerated and a month later police arrested the accused man at his apartment on charges of statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors, and furnishing alcohol to minors.
The girl, however, remained locked up for two months just waiting for a hearing with a judge named Mark Ciavarella Jr. When the hearing finally took place, Ciavarella summarily sentenced her to a juvenile rehabilitation program called Vision Quest—400 miles away in Franklin County. She had no legal representation at the hearing and her parents were only notified of it afterward.
At Vision Quest, which the girl later described to me as a kind of military-style boot camp where they "screamed in your face," instead of receiving counseling to help her deal with the rape she was given powerful prescription drugs like Zoloft and Prozac. Her parents were never consulted about the medications beforehand or notified when staff doctors decided to change them. The first time they went to visit her they pulled up and saw TV news vans and police cruisers lined up outside the facility. There had been a riot the day before. About 30 girls had filled their socks with rocks and attacked staff members. Some of the girls escaped into the woods amid the fighting but were later caught.
The mother became increasingly upset as she breathlessly told me all this. "When we saw her the first time she was real agitated and couldn't sit still, and she told us the drugs they were giving her were making her angry and depressed, and we asked what they were and she said she didn't know, so we asked the counselor and he said they were giving her Zoloft. Now I did some research on my own online and I couldn't believe they gave her something like that without telling us—Zoloft, and we're her parents. How can they do that?"
I was careful to treat what they were telling me as true even though it seemed impossible. I took notes and nodded. "They never told you this was a possibility when they admitted her?"
"They didn't tell us nothing." It was the first time the father had spoken since we sat down. "She's our daughter. We should've had a say but they didn't tell us nothing." His voice was measured and soft and his eyes were glued to the floor.
The parents both had health problems that made driving 400 miles to Vision Quest difficult, they said. The father had hurt his back some years ago and couldn't work anymore, saying something about a workers' comp lawsuit, but I didn't press them about it. The mother said she'd been calling and writing to Judge Ciavarella and the D.A. and state and local politicians, but no one would listen to them. They showed me mounds of paperwork, appeals forms, copies of dozens of letters they'd sent, offered to me as evidence of their hopeless situation. Going public was the last thing they wanted to do, but they were desperate. I knew I could not help them but I said that I would try. When I left their house I felt sick to my stomach. No matter what had happened and no matter if I were ever able to write this story, I felt in my gut that nothing good would come out of this.
Years later I would find out just how dark the entire story was, but at that point it was already difficult to face the bare facts. The man accused of raping the girl had himself, along with his brothers, been repeatedly raped and sexually abused as a child by his own parents, who were eventually found out and sentenced to decades-long prison terms in the 1990s. As a teenager, the man was incarcerated for molesting his 5-year-old nephew. None of that made any difference to the girl or her parents, but telling the girl's story in all its detail, making public everything we could find out about it—even at the family's request—weighed on my conscience.
I didn't feel like it was any of my business to share in this family's suffering and use my power as a journalist to advertise their plight. So what if they wanted me to? They were grief-stricken and not thinking clearly. They had no idea what was best for them. There are things I've had to do as a reporter that otherwise I would never have done, but I justified them by telling myself it was for a greater good, that it was just part of the job, that it didn't have anything to do with me personally, and that I was only responsible up to a certain point. The longer I was a crime reporter, the harder it was to convince myself of this.
I once interviewed a 13-year-old boy the morning after his father was murdered. Late the previous evening, his father's best friend had come to their house drunk, wanting to talk about how he thought his long-time girlfriend was cheating on him, only to find her car parked in the driveway. The man snapped. He got a .357-caliber revolver, kicked in the front door of the house, went up to the bedroom and found his ex-girlfriend in bed with his best friend. He then blew his friend's head off. The gunshot and splattering of blood on her face woke the ex-girlfriend, who managed to wrest the gun from him and escape. The shot had also woken the boy, who'd been asleep downstairs and called family members.
At the arraignment the next day I approached the boy but his family told me to get away, he doesn't want to talk. But the boy said no, I'll talk, it's OK. He was calm and polite and answered my questions matter-of-factly. He was probably in shock. I thanked him and left the courthouse hating myself, knowing that the only reason I'd interviewed him was to make the story more dramatic, more sensational, more vivid. The facts were the same, with or without a quote from the boy. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had made things a little bit worse for that family; I had certainly not done any good. No matter how I spun it to myself, the story I ended up writing, complete with harrowing quotes from the now-fatherless boy, was essentially for our readers' entertainment.
I kept thinking about that boy as I tried to figure out what to do about the girl and her parents. Would I make things worse for them or not? Had I already? Part of me thought that just by going to their house and allowing them to share their helplessness with me, I had done them harm. I had let them pour out their hearts to me, a complete stranger, and in doing so had implicitly given them hope that I could help get their daughter back, which of course I could not.
I told them when I left their house I would look into the case and be in touch. Their suffering was too raw for me not to follow through. The only way to find out if they were telling the truth, or not leaving out crucial details, was to talk to their daughter myself and read her case file.
Because the girl was a minor, no judges, district attorneys, or cops would speak with me about the case or even acknowledge its existence. It was convenient for them that way; they could tell themselves they were protecting her by not speaking to the media. The only person who ever said two words to me about it besides the girl and her parents was Judge Ciavarella himself. I called and asked to see her file, and he said if I got a notarized, signed release from the girl and her parents I could see it. Otherwise he had no comment on the case, he said, and hung up.
When he said he would let me see the file, he'd meant that literally. I was led to a small windowless room in the Luzerne County courthouse annex furnished with a table and one chair. On the table was a pad of paper and a pencil and the girl's five-inch-thick file. A surly juvenile probation officer explained that I was not allowed to copy or photograph anything in the file or remove any part of it from the room. I was not allowed to have a cell phone or a laptop with me in the room. I was not allowed to reprint or directly quote any part of the file. I could stay as long as I wanted but I could not leave the room with any part of the file. That was all.
I sat down and read for six hours taking notes until my hands cramped into claws.
Everything the parents had said was true. The prescription medications, the absence of defense attorneys or guardians at the sentencing, the lack of counseling at the detention facilities—all true. The straightforward tragedy of this family was just what the girl's father had said to me in their living room fighting back tears: "My girl was acting out because of what that man did to her. It should be obvious. But no one wanted to talk about that at any of her hearings. Like it never happened. They just wanted to send her away."
I didn't leave the courthouse that day excited about having the scoop on a big story. The truth of it all made me want to quit, to get away. I wanted to call the parents and tell them that printing the truth would not change anything, it would only harm their daughter and provide newspaper readers with some twisted form of entertainment. But now I had to write the story. This family had taken me into their trust and asked for this. No matter how much I thought it would harm their daughter and their family, I was bound. I had gone to the courthouse looking for a way out and had found instead only the horrible truth.
Eventually I went to see the girl. It was about a month before she was to be sent home and placed on indefinite probation. She was skinny and quiet and wore her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her parents were there, too. The mom took pictures and the dad held his daughter's hand. At her request, they had brought McDonald's. She ate while we talked. She said all she wanted now was to go home, that she felt much closer to her parents and her little sister, and that she wished someone would have listened to her and respected her enough to understand what was going on all this time.
I had been working on the story, on and off, for about three months. I told them it would finally be running as the main Sunday feature in next week's paper. I told them that if for some reason there were any delays I would let them know ahead of time so they could be prepared. I didn't tell them I had taken a job in Philadelphia and would be moving in a few weeks. I was ashamed; it seemed cowardly to publish their nightmare and then let them fend for themselves against whatever might come after. But I couldn't help them anyway. The article quoted no official sources aside from citing information we found in the girl's case file. It drew no definitive conclusions about the county's juvenile justice system as a whole and leveled no accusations. It's not that the family's story wasn't itself a damning indictment of the system—it was. But I didn't have enough evidence to show systematic corruption or official malfeasance. No one would go on record, and I wasn't able to prove that Judge Ciavarella had acted outside the bounds of the law, as outrageous as that seemed. My editors wisely decided not to publish any photos of the girl; I questioned the wisdom of running the story at all.
A girl had been raped by a sick man, a family had been ripped apart by a cruel judge, and I wanted out of it. I never wanted to know about any of it ever again. If I had seen that father or mother once more after the story ran, I wouldn't have been able to meet their eyes. I was a usurer of their tragedy, theirs and dozens of others. That was the last story I ever wrote for a daily newspaper, my last filing as a crime reporter. In Philadelphia I would be covering lighter subjects like arts and entertainment, urban design and development; I would not be meddling in the lives of others. I left that town and told myself I would never return, and I never have.
About three years later I moved from Philadelphia to Austin. Although I was still doing journalism as a freelancer I hadn't thought about the girl and her family in a long time. One day a headline about a "kids for cash scandal" in Pennsylvania caught my eye. I scanned down and saw the words, "former Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr." The story and the family and the girl came rushing back.
Ciavarella and another judge were on trial for racketeering, bribery, and extortion. Prosecutors claimed they'd funneled thousands of teenagers into two privately run detention centers, often doling out harsh sentences to first-time misdemeanor offenders who had no legal representation at their hearings, in return for cash payments totaling more than $2.5 million. The builder of the centers and the owners paid Ciavarella to keep their for-profit juvenile prisons full, and he obliged with ruthless sentences. Suddenly it all began to make sense.
The article also said the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania had ordered thousands of juvenile convictions overturned and criminal records expunged. I hoped the girl was included in that, but I didn't try to find out. It was enough that she was home with her family.
I read and re-read the story, trying to see if there had been something I'd missed or something more I could have done. I blamed myself for not discovering the truth, but I also didn't see how I could have known or found out about Ciavarella's scam on my own. The story broke not because of some intrepid reporter but because the FBI issued a press release announcing the charges. But it still felt like I'd failed—failed the girl and every other kid that had been sent away in the three years since my story ran. It reminded me of the nauseating sense of futility I used to have working on these stories, and why I walked away from them.
One of the two private detention centers was called PA Child Care. The name sounded familiar. I looked up the address and realized it was where I had interviewed the girl several years before. We had sat in one of the classrooms with her parents while she ate McDonald's and told me about her ordeal. The family's meaningless tragedy now made more sense. There had been a reason for their needless suffering after all: simple greed. There would be justice, too, even if it came too late. This past August, Ciavarella was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison (http://http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/us/12brfs-Ciavarella.html). He will be 85 years old before he is eligible for release.
John Davidson is an American writer and journalist living in France. In 2006, he was the night reporter at The Times Leader, in the heart of northeast Pennsylvania's former coal belt. He is also the founder of an on-again-off-again indie band called The New Time (http://http://newtimemusic.com/newtime/), whose music can be found on the internet (http://http://thenewtime.bandcamp.com/).
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Thank you for posting this in its entirety Ursus, I was extremely tired when I saw it online and just wanted to get the link up. I thought it was a really insightful look into how the judge and the program were absolutely corrupt right under the nose of this journalist and he still didn't see the truth of the matter. I agree, it is an incredible story.