Litigation

PA Judge?s Guilty Plea Accepted

By Peter Hardin

A federal judge in Scranton, Pa. has accepted a guilty plea from Michael T. Conahan, a former Luzerne County judge charged in a “cash for kids” scandal.

Conahan pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge, according to an Associated Press article, in a kickback scheme to lock up juvenile defendants. It was the second time he had pleaded guilty; he withdrew a previous plea after a judge refused to accept a recommended 87-month jail term for Conahan.

You can learn more about the scandal from an earlier Gavel Grab post. Conahan and a fellow judge were charged with  with receiving more than $2.8 million in payoffs. The second former judge, Mark Ciavarella, intends to stand trial, according to his lawyer.

An article in the Luzerne County Citizens Voice has links to the plea agreement, the prosecution statement, and details about an ongoing corruption probe.

Full post as published by The Gavel on July 26, 2010 (boomark / email).