Pa. judges accused of jailing kids for cash
Associated Press
February 11, 2009
Area: Wilkes Barre, Scranton
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania - Two Pennsylvania judges charged with taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to send teenagers to two privately run youth detention centers are expected to plead guilty to fraud.
Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan are scheduled to appear at a federal court hearing Thursday afternoon
Prosecutors say the two judges 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.
Prosecutors says the two are scheduled to plead guilty to two counts of fraud. Their plea agreements call for sentences of more than seven years in prison. They are expected to remain free pending sentencing.
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