Pa. judge guilty of racketeering in kickback case
Lawyer Blogs
A former juvenile court judge defiantly insisted he never accepted money for sending large numbers of children to detention centers even after he was convicted of racketeering for taking a $1 million kickback from the builder of the for-profit lockups.
Former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella was allowed to remain free pending sentencing following his conviction Friday in what prosecutors said was a "kids for cash" scheme that ranks among the biggest courtroom frauds in U.S. history.
Ciavarella, 61, left the bench in disgrace two years ago after he and a second judge, Michael Conahan, were accused of using juvenile delinquents as pawns in a plot to get rich. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has dismissed 4,000 juvenile convictions issued by Ciavarella, saying he sentenced young offenders without regard for their constitutional rights.
Ciavarella maintained the payments were legal and denied that he incarcerated youths for money.
"Never took a dime to send a kid anywhere. ... Never happened. Never, ever happened. This case was about extortions and kickbacks, not about 'kids for cash,'" said Ciavarella, who plans to appeal.
Related listings
-
Scandal-ridden CA city's leaders ordered to trial
Lawyer Blogs 02/17/2011For nearly two weeks the judge listened patiently as lawyers for the mayor, vice mayor and others accused of looting a modest, blue-collar city of millions of dollars painted a picture of their clients as tireless community servants who did any numbe...
-
Miss. court sets deadline in damage caps case
Lawyer Blogs 02/16/2011The Mississippi Supreme Court has asked parties in a federal lawsuit to file briefs by Feb. 28 on whether a state law that limits non-economic damages in civil cases is constitutional.The issue was raised by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in N...
-
Suit says BP official resigned over safety issues
Lawyer Blogs 02/15/2011A former official with BP's drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico resigned just months before last year's oil spill because of disagreements with the oil giant over its commitment to safety, according to a class-action federal lawsuit related to ...
New Rochelle, New York Personal Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP, in New Rochelle, New York, immediately. We can answer all your questions and work with you to determine if you have the grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. The attorneys at our firm are determined to resolve even the most difficult of cases. We will work closely with you to determine the best course of action to get your claim or case resolved in the most efficient way possible. We will fight for your right to compensation! No one should have to suffer a financial burden from the result of another person’s carelessness. The attorneys at Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP will aggressively fight to ensure that justice is served on your behalf.