Justice Served Upside the Head: Pa. judge gets 28 years in 'kids for cash' case

[roo_ster]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-08-11-pa-courthouse-kickbacks-sentence_n.htm?csp=obnetwork

What is that unfamiliar smell?  It might be justice served.

A longtime northeastern Pennsylvania judge was ordered to spend nearly three decades in prison for his role in a massive juvenile justice bribery scandal that prompted the state's high court to toss thousands of convictions.

28 years seems a bit light, IMO, for someone who deliberately ruined other people's lives and deprived them of their liberty by using their position of governmental authority as a cash register.  But, I suppose he got some "professional courtesy" from the prosecutor and judge.

[vaskidmark]

The biggest disappoijtment is that he will be serving his time in a federal facility - an most likely a "Club Fed" one at that.

Meanwhile, those he railroaded for profit who he might otherwise meet are most likely doing their time in the state system.*

And he and his attorney are upset that he will "most likely" spend the rest of his life known as the Kids for Cash Judge?  Ooooh!  Too bad!  If the sign fits, wear it!

stay safe.

*No, I am not hoping that he suffers some sort of jailhouse justice.  Really, I am not.  I'm just noting the disparity in accommodations he will get versus what his victims received.

[CNYCacher]

He was making money by sending thousands of children to jail who should never have served time.  He ruined countless lives, and stole millions from taxpayers in the process.

The sentence is too light.

He should spend 28 years as the tail of a human centipede, kept alive by IV antibiotics and TPN

[Perd Hapley]

Can CSD please reassure me that the judge's actions were justified? 

[RoadKingLarry]

I'm in agreement that the former judges sentence is far far too light.
Short rope, tall tree. All that is needed for that type of abuse of authority.
Might even give a clue to the others that ARE doing the same or similar in other places.

[AZRedhawk44]

Federal prosecutors accused Ciavarella and a second judge, Michael Conahan, of taking more than $2 million in bribes from the builder of the PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care detention centers and extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from the facilities' co-owner.

I don't follow how you can accept bribes from someone with one hand, and use extortion against them in the other hand.

That being said...

...Someone gave these judges some money.  That "someone" is the owner of the privatized prison system.  I'm awaiting the trial of the owner of the privatized prison in question here.  And whomever it is, had better not hide behind a wall of corporate deflection of personal culpability.  That $#%^ really steams me.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

28 years seems a bit light


hes old enough to make it tantamount to life.

i like how the judge broke it off in him for trying to get cute. his plea bargain  now that was too light

[MrsSmith]

Short rope, tall tree. All that is needed for that type of abuse of authority.
Might even give a clue to the others that ARE doing the same or similar in other places.

This.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

I have no idea how the Fed parole system works. Does 28 years mean he'll actually serve 28 years, or 28 months/weeks/days?

...Someone gave these judges some money.  That "someone" is the owner of the privatized prison system.  I'm awaiting the trial of the owner of the privatized prison in question here.  And whomever it is, had better not hide behind a wall of corporate deflection of personal culpability.  That $#%^ really steams me.

No such luck. He doesn't even get a felony on his record.
http://citizensvoice.com/mericle-pleads-guilty-in-kids-for-cash-scandal-1.223293

[vaskidmark]

I have no idea how the Fed parole system works. Does 28 years mean he'll actually serve 28 years, or 28 months/weeks/days?
No such luck. He doesn't even get a felony on his record.
http://citizensvoice.com/mericle-pleads-guilty-in-kids-for-cash-scandal-1.223293

1) Parole in the federal system ended in 2007 when Congress failed to enact legislation to continue funding of the Federal Parole Commission.  Since then the Federal Bureau Of Prisons has been working off of various systems of awarding good-time credit to reduce the total time served behind bars.  IIRC the current scheme is 80%. That works out to a minimum of 22.4 years.  FBOP also can send someone to a) work release or b) a half-way house before they reach their good-time release date.
 
2) Got to disagree with you.  There are no federal misdemeanors.

It does suck that by manipulating sentencing guidelines and working a plea agreement he (the developer who engineered "finders fees") get only a few months behind bars, and just barely $2M of his ill-gotten gains to be "donated" to good causes to be named by the prosecutor and his defense attorney, while the judge gets 28 years.  I did not read anywhere that the judge had to give up his ill-gotten gains in a similar scheme.  Anybody catch something I missed on that?

stay safe.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i think the irs is after judges assets
i think his on going arrogance is remarkable
and the second judge should share his cell