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U.S. Attorney:
Ciavarella, Conahan agree to
serve 87 months in prison
(County Judges)
Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre PA) ^ | 1/26/09
Posted on
Monday,
January 26, 2009 3:28:24 PM
by
Born Conservative
SCRANTON - Luzerne
County judges Mark A.
Ciavarella Jr. and Michael
T. Conahan have agreed to
plead guilty in connection
to concealing $2.6 million
from January 2003 to April
2007, and have agreed to
serve 87 months - 7.25 years
- in federal prison, Martin
Carlson, U.S. Attorney for
the Middle District of
Pennsylvania, said.
Ciavarella and
Conahan also agreed to
resign as judges within
10 days of federal court
approval of their plea
agreements, Carlson said
during a Monday
afternoon news
conference.
Carlson
called the acts, "A
scheme to defraud
the citizens of
Luzerne County and
the people of
Pennsylvania."
Carlson
said the
investigation,
which is
on-going,
alleged
Ciavarella and
Conahan engaged
in fraud by
taking millions
of dollars in
construction,
operation and
expansion of the
juvenile
detention center
in Pittston
Township and
juvenile
facilities
elsewhere.
Carlson
further
alleged
Ciavarella
and Conahan
pressured
the Luzerne
County
Juvenile
Probation
Department
and juvenile
probation
officers to
detains
juveniles at
the
detention
center,
despite
recommendations
by juvenile
probation
officers
that
detention
was not
warranted.
Carlson
claimed
Ciavarella
and
Conahan
had a
financial
interest
in the
juvenile
detention
facility,
and
failed
to
disclose
their
financial
interests
as
required
for
elected
officials.
Luzerne
County
Judge
Chester
Muroski
is
acting
as
president
judge
until
the
full
bench
of
judges
elect
a
president
judge.
That
election
has
not
been
scheduled.
Muroski has imposed a hiring, transfer and wage freeze for all court personnel, and hopes the lawsuit filed by Ciavarella against Luzerne County commissioners in connection to the 2009 budget is terminated.
"We will reevaluate the positions that have been taken as for personnel, we will do everything we can do come into a conformity with a uniform budget and I believe that given an opportunity with county commissioners, we will be able to do this," Muroski said. "As quickly as possible, we will terminate the lawsuit."
"This is a day I have waited for with great patience," Ann Lokuta, embattled Luzerne County judge, said. "If I had to sacrifice my judicial career to shed light on the corruption under the courthouse dome, that is what I had to do."
The state Court of Judicial Discipline removed Lokuta from the bench in December and prohibited her from ever holding another judicial office. The court had previously found Lokuta violated the canons of judicial conduct through her behavior on the bench.
Baskerville Speaks – Family Court Puts Profit Over People
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA6_ZGa7jbc&feature=channel
Other links:
http://www.meetup.com/JurisdictionaryofPhiladelphia/ my local site. Join and pitch in.
www.acfc.org American Coalition for Fathers and Children
www.dadsrights.org Sign up for a series of free lessons via email.
http://www.womenslawproject.org/reports/WLP_FamlyCourt.pdf a tough report from Philadelphia's top women's interests group. Read tough women complaining where Father's dare not go. Read brave women's critism of Philadelphia Family Court and their failure to follow the law (Due Process) on page 55. Thank God for relentlessly nagging women. We can't help but love them.
www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/07D0324P.pdf here is a case of a dad who at least tried to get custody using a Section 1983 federal lawsuit that he learned in jail.
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