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Biden's commutation in 'kids for cash' scandal angers some Pennsylvania families

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Biden's commutation in 'kids for cash' scandal angers some Pennsylvania families
News

News

Biden's commutation in 'kids for cash' scandal angers some Pennsylvania families

2024-12-14 06:32 Last Updated At:06:40

A judge who helped orchestrate one of the worst judicial scandals in U.S.history — a scheme to send children to for-profit jails in exchange for kickbacks — was among the 1,500 people whose sentences were commuted by President Joe Biden this week.

Biden's decision to commute the 17-year prison sentence of Michael Conahan angered many in northeastern Pennsylvania, from the governor to the families whose children were victimized by the disgraced former judge. Conahan had already served the vast majority of his sentence, which was handed down in 2011.

“I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania,” Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said during an unrelated news conference in Scranton on Friday.

The scandal “affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways,” he added. Conahan “deserves to be behind bars, not walking as a free man.”

A message seeking comment was sent to an attorney who recently represented Conahan, the former president judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.

In what came to be known as the kids-for-cash scandal, Conahan and Judge Mark Ciavarella shut down a county-run juvenile detention center and accepted $2.8 million in illegal payments from a friend of Conahan's who built and co-owned two for-profit lockups.

Ciavarella, who presided over juvenile court, pushed a zero-tolerance policy that guaranteed large numbers of children would fill the beds of the private lockups. The scandal prompted the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to throw out some 4,000 juvenile convictions involving more than 2,300 children.

Sandy Fonzo, whose son killed himself at age 23 after Ciavarella locked him up as a teen, called Conahan's commutation an “injustice.”

“I am shocked and I am hurt,” Fonzo said in a statement provided to The Citizens' Voice of Wilkes-Barre. “Conahan‘s actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son‘s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power. This pardon feels like an injustice for all of us who still suffer. Right now I am processing and doing the best I can to cope with the pain that this has brought back.”

The Juvenile Law Center, which represented plaintiffs in a $200 million civil judgment against Conahan and Ciavarella, said in a statement that it “supported President Biden's actions" but wants to see the “same kind of compassion and mercy” extended to juvenile defendants around the country.

Conahan was a powerful figure in northeastern Pennsylvania before his arrest, regularly meeting for breakfast with the reputed boss of an area Mafia family.

When he pleaded guilty in 2010, Conahan apologized to the youths he had hurt.

“The system is not corrupt,” Conahan said at the time. “I was corrupt.”

In 2020, Conahan was released to home confinement with six years left on his sentence as part of an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 in federal prisons.

Ciavarella, who went to trial and was convicted of some of the charges, is serving a 28-year sentence.

FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2009, file photo, Michael Conahan, center, a former Pennsylvania judge involved in a scheme to send youths to a for-profit jail in exchange for kickbacks, leaves the federal courthouse in Scranton, Pa. (AP Photo/David Kidwell, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2009, file photo, Michael Conahan, center, a former Pennsylvania judge involved in a scheme to send youths to a for-profit jail in exchange for kickbacks, leaves the federal courthouse in Scranton, Pa. (AP Photo/David Kidwell, File)

NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss announced that he has been battling a cancer found outside of his bowel duct between his pancreas and liver on Instagram live on Friday.

Moss, aided by a cane, introduced himself as a cancer survivor and thanked his “prayer warriors” for their support. He had a Whipple procedure to put a stent on his liver on Thanksgiving after experiencing urine discoloration.

Moss spent the last six days in the hospital before getting out on Friday and said he's nursing himself back to full health with chemotherapy and radiation.

Moss stepped away from his role as an analyst on ESPN's “Sunday NFL Countdown” on Dec. 6 for an extended time to focus on a personal health challenge, the network said in a statement. The announcement came five days after Moss posted a video from the set on Instagram where urged youn

“As soon as I get healthy to get back out with guys. I will be on set... Hopefully I can be with you guys soon,” Moss said.

"“My goal is to get back on television with my team.”

Moss was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 after playing 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (1998-2004, 2010), Oakland Raiders (2005-06), New England Patriots (2007-10), Tennessee Titans (2010) and the San Francisco 49ers (2012).

Moss is second in NFL history with 156 touchdown catches and caught an NFL-record 23 touchdowns in 2007.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE - Broadcaster Randy Moss sits on the sideline before an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker, File)

FILE - Broadcaster Randy Moss sits on the sideline before an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker, File)

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