Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > News Items
Jailing Kids For Cash
Ursus:
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
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.
Ursus:
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
Judges accused of sending teens to detention centers for money
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.
Ursus:
[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Sentenced Juveniles File Lawsuit Against Judges
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.
Ursus:
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
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.
Ursus:
[Local news video coverage of the following story accessible from title link.]
Local news / Wilkes-Barre, PA
Luzerne County Court Administrator Pleads Guilty
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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