Copyright 2023. Why: Plaintiffs are seeking financial damages after they were sent to for-profit detention centers as part of a kickback scheme. I'm one of them. His story (along with Transues and several others) was portrayed in the documentary Kids for Cash, which generated a good deal of public interest upon its 2013 release and ensured the sad stories of the scandals real victims will not be forgotten anytime soon. LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. (WBRE/WYOU) Hundreds of victims of two corrupt Pennsylvania judges are seeking financial damages as a lawsuit plays out in federal court this week after the infamous "Kids for Cash" scheme.Wednesday, NewsNation affiliates WBRE/WYOU spoke with Nick Angeles, who was one of the first to be sent away as part of the kickback. The panel of six men and six women also found Ciavarella guilty of "honest services mail fraud" and of being a tax cheat, for failing to list that money and more on his annual public financial-disclosure forms and on four years of tax returns. Naturally, for a prison to stay in business they need prisoners, which Conahan and Ciavarella were happy to provide. Both judges were arraigned on the charges on September 15, 2009. Both Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella were convicted and sentenced to 18 and 28 years, respectively. So I want you to know that I graduated college, and I forgive you," said Acri when reporters asked what she wanted Ciavarella to know. Copyright (c) Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis. In addition, they found him guilty of conspiring to launder money. Neither Ciavarella nor Conahan were in the courtroom today, they have waived their right to be present here, but both are still serving sentences for these crimes. ", "Resisting arrest, which I gave a police officer, the middle finger. A class-action lawsuit filed by juvenile offenders and their parents who were victimized by the Luzerne County bribery/conspiracy scheme, which was dubbed the "kids for cash" scandal, raised a number of claims - including Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Or-ganizations (RICO) claims - against Powell, Conahan, Ciavarella, Mericle, PACC, WPACC, Attorneys from the Center determined that several hundred cases were tried without the defendants receiving proper counsel. The Federal Civil Damages hearing is expected to last two to three weeks at the Federal Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre. In 2009, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated . Due to coronavirus concerns, he was released from prison in June 2020, six years early. Angeles says he was sent to a PA Child Care in Pittston Township. [49], On November 4, 2011, Powell was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to failing to report a felony and being an accessory to tax conspiracy. [53], Robert Mericle's sentencing in connection with his guilty plea for failing to report a felony was delayed pending his anticipated testimony in the bribery trial of former Congressman and Pennsylvania State Senator Raphael Musto. In Kids for Cash, William Ecenbarger explores the scandal in a compelling and accessible narrative that weaves together the details of the scandal with profiles of those involved, the historical context of Luzerne County with disturbing personal experiences of detained youths, and juvenile justice research with arguments for reform. [86][87][88] In 2015, crime fiction novelist Ace Atkins, using the nom de plume of the late Robert B. Parker, wrote Kickback, which borrows heavily from this case, transposing it into a Boston suburb instead. Ashley Acri of Drums tells Newswatch 16 she was a straight-A student with no record, and for that, she was sent away ten months by then-county-judge Mark Ciavarella. [46], However, Ciavarella has continued to appeal, contending that the Supreme Court's decision in the case of ex-Governor of Virginia Robert McDonnell narrowed the scope of the honest services fraud statute. (KCCI via CNN), Boys 13th Region Tournament sees all-Laurel County semifinal, SpaceX launches US, Russia, UAE astronauts to space station, Sisters hailed as heroes for saving 2 kids who fell through frozen pond, Many stranded by snow in Calif. mountains; state of emergency declared, Man accused of trying to bring explosive on plane. [63][64], A class action lawsuit was filed by the Juvenile Law Center on behalf of the juveniles who were adjudicated delinquent by Ciavarella despite not being represented by counsel or advised of their rights. [58], On October 1, 2019, Ciavarella was disbarred on consent from the practice of law by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 17-year old Kenzakoski never recovered from his time spent at the juvenile facility he was sent to by Ciavarella. It is hard to compare one scandal to another scandal. [11], Pennsylvania's Judicial Conduct Board received four complaints about Michael Conahan between 2004 and 2008, but later admitted it failed to investigate any of them, nor had it sought documentation regarding the cases involved. He says he is still trying to recover from the trauma.Angeles says he was in front of Luzerne County Jud. [50][51][52] On August 10, 2015, a judge approved a $4.75M settlement agreement for Powell, for having paid kickbacks related to the adjudication of at least 2,400 juveniles. You will need a User Account to register for programs online. He pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge for accepting part of $2.8 million dollars from the . You know I'm sorry, but they killed themselves over this, you know, hung themselves, not just one, a couple of friends of mine, close.". He's expected to hear testimony from close to 350 victims like the ones we heard from today over the next two weeks. In April 2008, the Center petitioned the Pennsylvania Supreme Court seeking relief for alleged violation of the youths' civil rights. "My whole time she didn't have me she couldn't, she couldn't nothing. [61] He returned with his findings in an interim report dated March 11, 2009. He says he is still trying to recover from the trauma. Brulo backdated her recommendation of a placement she made concerning a juvenile defendant in September 2007, and changed her original recommendation of placement to probation. I was amazed. Matt Rourke / APThe PA Child Care facility in Pennsylvania was one of the juvenile detention facilities at the center of the Kids for Cash scandal. WILKES-BARRE, Pa. A federal judge has ruled that the two former Luzerne County judges at the center of the "Kids for Cash" scandal must pay their victims more than $200 million in damages.. The tragedy that happened here today is heartbreaking, Anna Trunnell, the Santa Rosa City Schools superintendent, said at the news conference. Not many children would drop what theyre doing or adults and just run out and wade into water up to their shoulders to pull two other kids out, said West Des Moines EMS Division Chief Doug Harms. Butch Ifland, St. Charles County Sheriffs Dept. Kids For Cash: When Judges Took Bribes To Dish Out Harsh Sentences To Juvenile Offenders. In what came to be known as the kids-for-cash scandal, Mark Ciavarella and another judge, Michael Conahan, shut down a county-run juvenile detention center and accepted $2.8 million in illegal. Wednesday, NewsNation affiliates WBRE/WYOU spoke with Nick Angeles, who was one of the first to be sent away as part of the kickback. I think those kids deserve something," said Acri. He was incarcerated at the Federal Prison Camp, Pensacola, a low-security facility in Florida, and was released from a halfway house on April 16, 2013. [40], On February 18, 2011, following a trial, a federal jury convicted Ciavarella on 12 of the 39 remaining counts he faced including racketeering, a crime in which prosecutors said the former judge used children "as pawns to enrich himself." The OFallon, MO Police Department requested the assistance of the Major Case Squad in investigating the death of Sandra Little (age 21). Just get them out.. [7] Ciavarella opted to go to trial the following year. Following Ciavarella's conviction, he and his lawyer appeared on the steps of the courthouse to give an impromptu press conference. All rights reserved. However, Judge Michael T. Toole (who pleaded guilty to and was convicted in April 2011 of Fraud and Tax Evasion charges[20]) as well as another judge, had each stayed at a Florida condo jointly owned by Conahan and Ciavarella. Hundreds of. The lives of these young people and their families were changed forever. [45] Ciavarella appealed his conviction to the Third Circuit and it was rejected on July 25, 2013. LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. ( WBRE/WYOU) Hundreds of victims of two corrupt Pennsylvania judges are seeking financial damages as a lawsuit plays out in federal court this week after the infamous "Kids for Cash" scheme. Now serving a 28 year sentence in federal prison, the former juvenile court judge at the heart of the scandal shares his ulterior motives, revealing that his attorneys never knew about his interviews for this film. [8], In the wake of the scandal, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania overturned hundreds of adjudications of delinquency in Luzerne County. Mark says after his first stint in a detention center for possession of drug paraphernalia, he was treated differently, and it caused him to act out and see the Judge again. Taylor told the judge she has no conflict representing Kohberger because shes never met Cara Northington, the mother of Xana Kernodle. "I really don't know, I'm not really here to search for monies or nothing like that," said Aguilar. He concluded that due to Ciavarella's disregard for the juveniles' constitutional rights, as well as the kickbacks, no one who appeared before Ciavarella in that period had a truly impartial hearing. Mericle was ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on May 14, 2014. Wednesday, NewsNation affiliates WBRE/WYOU spoke with Nick Angeles, who was one of the first to be sent away as part of the kickback. 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Sponsored by Representative Todd Eachus of Butler Township in Luzerne County, House Bill 1648[72] established the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice in July 2009. Wikimedia CommonsFormer Judge Mark Ciavarella was at the center of a kickback scheme that sent hundreds of teenagers to juvenile facilities. Im just happy theyre OK, Jasmine Morris said. Perhaps for some the case has faded from memory. Over 50 percent of the children who appeared before Ciavarella lacked legal representation; 60 percent of these children were removed from their homes. In addition to the federal criminal prosecutions and the proceedings before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, we partnered with pro bono co-counsel Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller to file a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of the children and parents who suffered emotional trauma and financial loss as a consequence of the corruption scheme. [62] On March 26, 2009, the Supreme Court approved Grim's recommendations and ruled that Ciavarella had violated the constitutional rights of thousands of juveniles, and initially hundreds of juvenile adjudications were ordered overturned. 12-2016, 12-2132", "Two 'kids for cash' judges from Pennsylvania ordered to pay more than $200 million", "Juvenile justice commission's first meeting set for next week", "Democratic leaders name nationally recognized expert to Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice", "Rendell to sign legislation creating corruption commission", "Judge Featured In Moore's 'Capitalism: A Love Story' Found Guilty Of Racketeering", "The 'Kids for Cash' Scandal from 'Capitalism: A Love Story', "Kids For Cash: Inside One of the Nation's Most Shocking Juvenile Justice Scandals", "CNBC's 'American Greed' will feature kids-for-cash scandal", "Ripped from the Headlines: Greed, Corruption, and Hate Crimes in Northeastern Pennsylvania", "Bobby buries one of his own in a solid but empty Billions", Mid Atlantic Youth Services official website, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kids_for_cash_scandal&oldid=1138756099, Political corruption scandals in the United States, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from January 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Articles with dead external links from November 2012, Articles with dead external links from October 2010, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 12:11. Mericle faced up to three years in prison and a $250,000 maximum fine. But the so-called "kids for cash" case was a big scandal by any measure. Mericle had failed to tell a grand jury he had paid $2.1 million to Ciavarella and Conahan as a finder's fee. Sentenced to 28 years in prison, 72-year-old Mark Ciavarella could be released in 2035. [31][32][33] The Pennsylvania Supreme Court temporarily suspended Powell's law license on August 31, citing his criminal conviction. [36][32][37][38] Mericle was released from federal custody in 2015 after serving a one-year sentence. The application of relief was later denied, then reconsidered in January 2009 when corruption charges against both Conahan and Mark Ciavarella surfaced. "When he gave it to me, he was giving me crazy numbers, and not once or twice he did to me three or four times, I can't even remember how many times as a child, you know, my first time I think I was 13 years old when I went in," said Aguilar of Wilkes-Barre. Former Judge Mark Ciavarella was at the center of a kickback scheme that sent hundreds of teenagers to juvenile facilities. News journalist for Occupy Democrats. I really dont have the words to say because every time like, Wow, those were my girls, she said. Ciavarella and another county judge, Michael Conahan, were charged with having created the potential for an increased number of juvenile offenders to be sent to juvenile detention facilities, facilities that in turn paid the two judges more than two million dollars in exchange for a steady flow of youth offenders. People committed suicide because of this. "I'm here to support my son, and I paid for everything," said Ronnie Brea of Wilkes-Barre. The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Crush", the CSI: NY episode "Crossroads",[84] an episode of The Good Wife, and an episode of For the People [85] featured corrupt judges sending children to private detention centers. 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