Posted on 01/29/2009 7:32:57 AM PST by Born Conservative
WILKES-BARRE — Two Luzerne County judges facing 87 months in prison for allegedly taking $2.6 million in kickbacks were stripped of their judicial duties by the state Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan are expected to plead guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges in federal court Feb. 12 and subsequently resign from the bench and bar.
Judge Ciavarella, who stepped down as president judge Monday but remains on the bench, was suspended with pay from all judicial and administrative duties pending the outcome of his case. Common pleas judges were paid annual salaries of $157,441 in 2008.
Judge Conahan retired at the end of 2007 at age 55 but worked regularly as a senior judge presiding over the county’s drug treatment court. The Supreme Court revoked his certification as a senior judge, and he will no longer be paid by the state. Senior judges can work up to 13 days per month and are paid about $500 per day. Judge Conahan’s pension benefits will not be affected until he is sentenced, a state spokesman said earlier this week.
In its order suspending Judge Ciavarella, the Supreme Court wrote that it acted “in view of the compelling and immediate need to protect and preserve the integrity of ... the administration of justice for the citizens of Luzerne County.”
Judge Conahan, 56, and Judge Ciavarella, 58, could not be reached for comment. They remain free pending their plea hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Edwin M. Kosik in Scranton on Feb. 12.
Judge Ciavarella’s attorney, Albert Flora Jr., said he was not surprised by the Supreme Court action, relayed in two one-page orders issued around 4 p.m. Wednesday.
“It’s all part of the process,” Mr. Flora said.
Judges Conahan and Ciavarella are accused of accepting payments from the co-owner of two juvenile detention centers in Pittston Twp. and Butler County and the contractor who built the facilities.
Court documents filed by federal prosecutors say the two judges helped the company that owned the centers, Pennsylvania Child Care LLC, secure county contracts worth millions of dollars. Judge Ciavarella, who presided over juvenile court, instituted procedures that increased the potential that juveniles would be placed in detention centers, pressured court staffers to recommend detention and detained juveniles when juvenile probation officers recommended otherwise, prosecutors allege.
The two judges tried to hide the origin of the payments made to companies and bank accounts under their control through the use of falsified records and failed to fully report their sources of income on annual financial disclosure forms filed with the state, according to prosecutors.
Judges Conahan and Ciavarella have signed plea agreements that are expected to be approved at the Feb. 12 hearing.
Dyller eyes potential lawsuits (Fed case against corrupt PA judges)
Feds: Judges used system to enrich selves
U.S. Attorney: Ciavarella, Conahan agree to serve 87 months in prison (County Judges)
Update: Judges indicted in Luzerne corruption probe (Feds indict 2 PA county judges)
Were they appointed or elected?
If appointed, by whom?
Always sparks my interest when I can’t find how they got to the bench.
Elected.
This is a VERY corrupt county (I no longer live there), so it was shocking that the Feds raided the courthouse this past summer (actually, an annex of the courthouse). I suspect that this is the tip of the iceberg.
They both got axed, but the one thief, Ciavarella, is still getting paid!
There is a local radio host, Steve Corbett, who has a show from 3p-7p (Eastern Time) with a lot of interesting discussion on this. It can be heard on the web: http://www.wilknetwork.com/
We all have power. Just use it.
List of US Attorneys Offices for information regarding crimes committed during the 2008 Election:
http://defendourfreedoms.org/usattorneys.html
http://drorly.blogspot.com/2009/01/us-attorneys-offices-for-you-to-visit.html
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