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You are here: Home / Politics / Activist Judges! / A just resolution, I think

A just resolution, I think

by Kay|  August 11, 20111:11 pm| 107 Comments

This post is in: Activist Judges!, Blatant Liars and the Lies They Tell

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Thanks to commenter Ben Cisco for this:

SCRANTON, Pa. — A longtime northeastern Pennsylvania judge was ordered to spend nearly three decades in prison for his role in a massive juvenile justice bribery scandal that prompted the state’s high court to toss thousands of convictions.

Former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella Jr. was sentenced Thursday to 28 years in federal prison for taking $1 million in bribes from the builder of a pair of juvenile detention centers in a case that became known as “kids for cash.”

Ciavarella was motionless when the decision was announced and had no reaction. From behind him, where family members of some of the children he sentenced sat, someone cried out “Woo hoo!”

Ciavarella, speaking before the sentence was handed down, apologized to the community and to those juveniles that appeared before him in his court. “I blame no one but myself for what happened,” he said, and then denied he had ever incarcerated any juveniles in exchange for money.

No one but myself, oh, and this other guy, also:

He also criticized U.S. Assistant Attorney Gordon Zubrod for referring to the case as “kids for cash,” and said it sank his reputation. “He backdoored me, and I never saw it coming. Those three words made me the personification of evil,” Ciavarella said. “They made me toxic and caused a public uproar the likes of which this community has never seen.”

If he doesn’t know what actually sank his reputation by now, I give up.

Zubrod said that Ciavarella had “verbally abused and cruelly mocked children he sent away after violating their rights.” He called the ex-judge “vicious and mean-spirited” in asking U.S. District Judge Edwin M. Kosik for a life sentence. Federal prosecutors accused Ciavarella and a second judge, Michael Conahan, of taking more than $2 million in bribes from the builder of the PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care detention centers and extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from the facilities’ co-owner.

Ciavarella, known for his harsh and autocratic courtroom demeanor, filled the beds of the private lockups with children as young as 10, many of them first-time offenders convicted of petty theft and other minor crimes.

As young as 10.

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Reader Interactions

107Comments

  1. 1.

    Cat Lady

    August 11, 2011 at 1:14 pm

    The only thing better would be if they let all of the kids he sent away taunt him and throw shit at him every day left of his miserable life.

  2. 2.

    EdTheRed

    August 11, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    I think Joe Strummer put it best:
    “There ain’t no need for ya
    Go straight to hell boys”

  3. 3.

    Roger Moore

    August 11, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    Let me guess, this guy is a Republican who campaigned on getting tough on crime. Personal responsibility: how the fuck does it work?

  4. 4.

    Constance

    August 11, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    Personification of evil seems about right to me. How many lives destroyed there?

  5. 5.

    Corner Stone

    August 11, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    He destroyed so many children, and their families. Just reading the snips that came out over the last couple years (?), this guy deserves to serve every day of his sentence.
    I wonder about restitution for the children?

  6. 6.

    kay

    August 11, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    @Cat Lady:

    I think it’s good some of them saw the sentencing. He got a real hearing, which is way more process than he gave his victims. The “hearings” were 5 or 10 minutes long in his cases. Just a formality prior to shipping them off.

  7. 7.

    Peter

    August 11, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    It made me think of this:
    “Prison Economics Help Drive Ariz. Immigration Law”

    “But Nichols wasn’t buying. He asked them how would they possibly keep a prison full for years — decades even — with illegal immigrants?

    “They talked like they didn’t have any doubt they could fill it,” Nichols said.

    That’s because prison companies like this one had a plan — a new business model to lock up illegal immigrants. And the plan became Arizona’s immigration law.”

    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130833741

  8. 8.

    Maude

    August 11, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    @kay:
    The children who were harmed by this judicial monster got to see him pay for his crimes.

  9. 9.

    geg6

    August 11, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    Well, good for him. This motherfucker has ruined so many lives. There is no way he can be punished enough. I hope that bastard rots in prison. This is a huge embarrassment and shame to the entire Commonwealth.

  10. 10.

    Derf

    August 11, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    Can always count on getting my fix of gloom porn at baboon juice where there isn’t anything gloomy enough going on in politics or the economy to talk about.

    Next story will be a nun stealing church donations from little old ladies to buy crack. Or maybe a story on baby showers in Somalia where the most popular gifts are guns and RPG’s.

  11. 11.

    Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen

    August 11, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    Any word on whether his victims have filed a civil suit? His assets should be liquidated and shared out. Along with bits of his scalp.

  12. 12.

    kay

    August 11, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    @Maude:

    He’s bad, but there’s responsibility to go around. There were several juvenile judges in that court, and they weren’t all doing this. Courts are gossipy. I’m wondering why it took so long to nail him. Appeals on process violations, etc.
    Maybe it’s unfair, and I of course don’t have perfect information, but I do wonder about that. I think it would be wise to take a look at all the players in this drama.

  13. 13.

    Zifnab

    August 11, 2011 at 1:24 pm

    Cheers to this. Although, honestly, I’m curious as to whether the guys cutting him the checks got equal sentences. They should burn that child prison to the ground, while they’re out and about locking up crocked justices.

  14. 14.

    dpCap

    August 11, 2011 at 1:24 pm

    IOKITB (It’s ok if they’re black)…

    :(

  15. 15.

    Comrade Dread

    August 11, 2011 at 1:25 pm

    You know, we could probably save lots of tax dollars if we privatized this jackhole’s prison care to a company that outsourced him to Saudi Arabia.

    I think this is a case where a free market solution might work.

  16. 16.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    August 11, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    “I’m sorry if it offended you that I was getting paid to ruin children’s lives.”

  17. 17.

    Bettencourt

    August 11, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    Derf, I don’t see how you can call this Gloom Porn; his sentencing is possibly the best piece of news I’ve read on this site in years.

  18. 18.

    Corner Stone

    August 11, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    @dpCap: The kids he sentenced or denied process to were majority black? Or this happens all the time elsewhere and no one says peep about it because it’s mainly to blacks?

  19. 19.

    TenguPhule

    August 11, 2011 at 1:27 pm

    Please let this former judge’s identity be leaked to the general population of whatever facility he’s housed in.

    Sometimes Karma needs a little helping hand.

  20. 20.

    Bill F

    August 11, 2011 at 1:27 pm

    Was this the same guy in Capitalism: A Love Story? Also the last line made me think of The Big Lebowski: “ten year olds Dude”

  21. 21.

    Corner Stone

    August 11, 2011 at 1:28 pm

    @Belafon (formerly anonevent):

    “I’m sorry if it offended you that I was getting paid to ruin children’s lives.”

    “I’m sorry that I never expected someone to describe me selling childrens’ futures for payments in kind as ‘kids for cash’.”

  22. 22.

    Snarkworth

    August 11, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    Not sure of his party, but most officeholders in Luzerne County are old-school machine type Democrats. He had a lot of support at first, what with “getting tough” on these young punks.

    Most of the parents didn’t have the resources or sophistication to counter him, and local media (which should have raised holy heck about this guy) is worthless.

  23. 23.

    NonyNony

    August 11, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    @Bettencourt:

    It’s freD – I’m just assuming that he’s got a list of pithy gloom-and-doom accusations in a notepad window and he randomly posts them in the comments section of stories hoping to get a nibble of a response.

    That said, at least freD is trying something new with his trolling. Most of the trolls we get around here are a sad, sorry lot. freD is attempting to stretch into some new territory – he should be less lazy about it though and actually, you know, read the posts before the cut-and-paste.

  24. 24.

    TenguPhule

    August 11, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    Can always count on getting my fix of gloom porn at baboon juice where there isn’t anything gloomy enough going on in politics or the economy to talk about.

    Oh there’s Poop boy.

    I assume he was weeping yesterday about all the money he pooped out on a dead cat bounce.

    As they say fools, money, magnetic repulsion.

  25. 25.

    Roger Moore

    August 11, 2011 at 1:31 pm

    @Derf:
    Tiresome troll is tiresome.

  26. 26.

    Southern Beale

    August 11, 2011 at 1:31 pm

    Mitt Romney: “Corporations are people, my friend.”

    And the crowd laughs … Well, this will be a fun soundbite.

  27. 27.

    kay

    August 11, 2011 at 1:34 pm

    @dpCap:

    If you read the accounts, the main problem was their parents (reasonably) didn’t think they needed a vigorous defense, because these were petty crimes or first offenders. A lot of times parents see value in the child admitting guilt or taking responsibility, and the juvenile system is deliberately different than the adult criminal system: it’s (supposed to be) predicated on rehab and restitution, not punishment. That’s the stated aim. They made the mistake of trusting a judge, in other words. They were shocked when the kids were shipped, and then they retained counsel. So just vulnerable people all around, and him with all the power.

  28. 28.

    A Humble Lurker

    August 11, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    Good. Fucking. Riddance.

  29. 29.

    dpCap

    August 11, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    @Corner Stone:

    @dpCap: The kids he sentenced or denied process to were majority black? Or this happens all the time elsewhere and no one says peep about it because it’s mainly to blacks?

    The latter. I have no idea if they were black though I do suspect that they were mostly urban poor (thus less likely to appeal the rulings and challenge him.)

    EDIT: Kay explained it even better than I did. Thanx for making me sound smarter than I am. :-[

  30. 30.

    Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen

    August 11, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    Seriously, check out his wikipage.

    The difference between this maggot and a baby raping priest who doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about? Ciavarella doesn’t wear his collar backwards.

    LOLs:

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Zubrod argued for a sentence that would send Ciavarella to prison “for the remainder of his natural life.”

    “The defendant argues he didn’t sell juveniles retail. We agree with that. He was selling them wholesale,” said Zubrod, maintaining that the jury found Ciavarella guilty of a racketeering conspiracy for being part of a scheme to extract cash from the construction and operation of the two for-profit centers.

    http://citizensvoice.com/ciavarella-sentenced-to-28-years-in-prison-1.1187339#axzz1Uk6Z3ZN9

  31. 31.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    August 11, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    @TenguPhule: And yet, he keeps coming back, and then leaves a trail of idiotic statements like that one.

  32. 32.

    rb

    August 11, 2011 at 1:36 pm

    Jesus Christ. More evidence that Biden was right; Scranton really is hell on earth.

    Kidding aside, good on the prosecution for getting their man, albeit 25ish years too late.

    Consider a phrase that should be a textbook oxymoron: “children’s prison.” Now add “private.” WTF kind of person would want to have anything to do with that sort of “business model?”

  33. 33.

    Bulworth

    August 11, 2011 at 1:40 pm

    Yeah but you guys hurt my feelings and ruined my rep for calling it cash for kids..kids for cash or whatever.

    //

  34. 34.

    Cat Lady

    August 11, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    This whole story is like something out of Dickens. Ciaverella even looks like the warden from Shawshank Redemption. There’s a movie in this for some enterprising screenwriter wannabe.

  35. 35.

    Mojotron

    August 11, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    1) I think he’s a Democrat, and 2) I think most of his victims were actually white (the kid who committed suicide was).

  36. 36.

    Maude

    August 11, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    @efgoldman:
    At least they weren’t transported to Oz like back in the day.
    What an awful man.

  37. 37.

    Martin

    August 11, 2011 at 1:43 pm

    @rb:

    WTF kind of person would want to have anything to do with that sort of “business model”?

    I think ‘Republican’ is the word you’re looking for.

  38. 38.

    quaker in a basement

    August 11, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    Excellent! No excuse making that the judge “was otherwise a credit to the community, poses no threat to himself or others, harrumpf, harruumpf…community service…blah, blah.”

    The bastard sold children to a prison. Thirty years! And I hope he serves every single day of it.

  39. 39.

    hueyplong

    August 11, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    I can see Mittens on the stretcher, screaming as they carry him off, “Soylent Green is corporatons!”

  40. 40.

    huckster

    August 11, 2011 at 1:50 pm

    it doesn’t matter which party he’s from, he’s still a sick fuck who deserved a lot worse than what he got. And frankly, if he didn’t do it for the money, he is a sick fuck.

  41. 41.

    srv

    August 11, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    In Texas, they’d give this guy a medal.

  42. 42.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    August 11, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    @Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen:
    In case you need a reason to contribute to Wikipedia, his page now starts:

    Mark Ciavarella (born March 3, 1950) is a convicted felon and former President Judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas

  43. 43.

    Derf

    August 11, 2011 at 1:55 pm

    @Roger Moore: Hey Roger, so glad you took time out of your busy day to comment. Obviously what I think holds considerable weight with you. I appreciate the compliment. As always, I am happy to hear from my groupies and their obsessions with me.

  44. 44.

    Villago Delenda Est

    August 11, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    This asshole got off lightly, I think.

    A slow death would have been more just.

  45. 45.

    Derf

    August 11, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    @Bettencourt: Corrupt judge poisoning the justice system on the backs of children. Only to display more contempt in his sentencing.

    But hey, he got caught and convicted so you are absolutely right Bettencourt. This story just fills my heart and soul with sunshine.

  46. 46.

    gex

    August 11, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    @Martin: Libertarian would work as well.

    ETA: Talking about the businessman on the other side of the deal, not the judge.

  47. 47.

    jrg

    August 11, 2011 at 2:00 pm

    Those three words made me the personification of evil

    Yep. The fact that you were ruining children’s lives for money had nothing to do with it. What a fucking scumbag. I hope his time in prison is a living nightmare.

  48. 48.

    Baron Jrod of Keeblershire

    August 11, 2011 at 2:01 pm

    A thousand years of torture wouldn’t be enough for this chunk of filth to pay for his crimes. I only take comfort in the fact that he’ll never live out his sentence, and I look forward to the day Ciavarella is found ripped inside out from his asshole in the prison laundry room.

  49. 49.

    pdf

    August 11, 2011 at 2:03 pm

    There was an episode of Leverage about this guy.

  50. 50.

    The Ancient Randonneur

    August 11, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    So Gordon Gekko in a judicial robe finally got what was coming to him.

  51. 51.

    Mark S.

    August 11, 2011 at 2:07 pm

    I bet he’s going to be really popular in prison, especially when the other inmates find out why he’s there.

  52. 52.

    h.rumpole

    August 11, 2011 at 2:07 pm

    Shave him, duct tape his hands to his ankles, and leave him in the middle of D block.

  53. 53.

    EconWatcher

    August 11, 2011 at 2:08 pm

    I don’t think any of the punishment options available to a U.S. federal judge are actually quite adequate for this case.

  54. 54.

    Kathy in St. Louis

    August 11, 2011 at 2:08 pm

    If, as someone above said, he’s a democrat, then I wish he’d been given life with the possibility of being roasted over an open fire on a turning spit. God only knows how many lives he ruined in the course of this debacle. Makes no difference if they were white or black. In either case, it’s a safe bet that they were from families who were unsophisticated about the law, or too poor to get a lawyer. I have to wonder about the entire juvenile justice setup in his area if no one put up a fuss about this, informed higher authorities for years on end, or just beat the guy up over this matter. Others had to be aware of this for it to continue long enough for him to make a million dollars off the deal.

  55. 55.

    secondlaws

    August 11, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    Some aspects of the judge’s comments reported in the linked article are oddly disconnected, contradictory, and inconsistent – that evidence along with some of his reported personality “quirks” are suggestive of early-onset Alzheimer’s. When justice goes wrong….? In any case, there should have been a way to get this demented SOB out of the courtroom much sooner, before he negatively impacted all those young lives. Tragic.

  56. 56.

    Roger Moore

    August 11, 2011 at 2:10 pm

    @Derf:
    Coming from somebody who only stops by to trash our bloghost without actually making substantive comments on the stories, that’s really meaningful. Please continue to shit on the blog without adding any value.

  57. 57.

    Paul in KY

    August 11, 2011 at 2:13 pm

    @Derf: It’s only ‘gloom porn’ if you ID with the POS judge.

    But some dumbass named ‘Derf’ oughta know that.

  58. 58.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    August 11, 2011 at 2:14 pm

    So pretty much they were poor child criminals, child criminals are one of those groups were it is socially acceptable to exploit. Makes you wonder how much more child abuse like this is out there in our judicial system.

  59. 59.

    Derf

    August 11, 2011 at 2:18 pm

    @Roger Moore: So to make your point you trash someone without making substantive comments on the story. Hypocrisy always works.

  60. 60.

    punkdavid

    August 11, 2011 at 2:18 pm

    Peak asshole was a lie.

  61. 61.

    Derf

    August 11, 2011 at 2:21 pm

    @Paul in KY: How did you know I was a corrupt judge taking bribes from builders of juvenile detention centers? Your intuition is spooky good.

  62. 62.

    Sly

    August 11, 2011 at 2:22 pm

    @Constance:

    Personification of evil seems about right to me. How many lives destroyed there?

    No way to be entirely sure. There was a report done by a judge from a neighboring county, appointed by the state to review the cases, indicating that all of the verdicts issued by Ciaverella were questionable. The state agreed with his report, and all of his rulings were vacated: around 6,500 cases affecting 4,000 individual juveniles.

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    This asshole got off lightly, I think.
    __
    A slow death would have been more just.

    There are two things you never, ever, ever, ever want to go to prison for: killing or otherwise assaulting a cop, or messing with kids in any way. This guy is not going to have a happy 28 years by any stretch of the imagination, if he even lasts that long.

  63. 63.

    Joseph Nobles

    August 11, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    @punkdavid:

    Peak asshole was a lie.

    The technology to extract assholery from more inaccessable places just gets better over time.

  64. 64.

    Citizen_X

    August 11, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    Those three words made me the personification of evil

    No, asshole. Your actions made you the personification of evil.

  65. 65.

    El Tiburon

    August 11, 2011 at 2:26 pm

    I hope he gets fucked in the face.

  66. 66.

    Suffern ACE

    August 11, 2011 at 2:30 pm

    Wow. I was just thinking about this case the other week as I hadn’t gone looking for a status update for awhile. I still don’t know why this was allowed to go on for so long, except he probably chose his victims wisely from the classes of people that serious people don’t like to listen to. Very happy with this outcome.

  67. 67.

    Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen

    August 11, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    @Belafon (formerly anonevent): Ha, yes. I suspect someone spent the day poised over his keyboard, waiting to enter that.

    Serioulsy, I write abuot fraud (although a specific and boring kind) and his antics made my eyes pop.

  68. 68.

    numbskull

    August 11, 2011 at 2:36 pm

    @Bettencourt: Ya gotta consider the source. Derf’s upset that he didn’t get a cut before it all came crashing down.

  69. 69.

    Arclite

    August 11, 2011 at 2:40 pm

    First, Ciavarella. THEN Rumsfeld, Bush 43, and John Yoo! WOO HOO!

  70. 70.

    rikryah

    August 11, 2011 at 2:40 pm

    for the lives he destroyed, may he burn in hell

  71. 71.

    Gretchen

    August 11, 2011 at 2:41 pm

    Aged 10? Are you kidding me? 28 years is exponentially too little for that. Keep him alive for 1000 years!

  72. 72.

    DFH no.6

    August 11, 2011 at 2:41 pm

    “Are there no prisons, are there no workhouses?”

    Don’t care if this asshole judge is a Democrat or not – prisons-for-profit is one more evil conservative concept springing from the conservative mindset that Ebenezer Scrooge (pre-Christmas ghosts) so memorably evinced.

    IGMFY is the bedrock foundation of the conservative worldview; everything else (including exploiting the vulnerable for personal gain) in that house of horrors is built upon it.

  73. 73.

    RobNYNY1957

    August 11, 2011 at 2:42 pm

    According to Wikipedia, Luzerne County is over 90% white, for whatever that is worth. I don’t think it matters very much.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luzerne_County,_Pennsylvania#Demographics

  74. 74.

    Arclite

    August 11, 2011 at 2:43 pm

    @Corner Stone:

    I wonder about restitution for the children?

    Civil suit?

  75. 75.

    Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen

    August 11, 2011 at 2:45 pm

    @Arclite: There is a civil suit in the works.

  76. 76.

    Paul in KY

    August 11, 2011 at 2:47 pm

    @Derf: I figured there must be more than one. Seems like the hip business for corrupt judges to ‘get in on the ground floor’.

  77. 77.

    rea

    August 11, 2011 at 2:54 pm

    The sad thing is, there are judges who rule just like this guy, without the excuse of doing it for the money. Hell, the fact that he only did it for the money ought to be a point in his favor, really.

  78. 78.

    ppcli

    August 11, 2011 at 2:54 pm

    Those three words made me the personification of evil

    No, it was your decision to act in a way that personifies evil that made you the personification of evil. The DA merely described it.

  79. 79.

    asiangrrlMN

    August 11, 2011 at 2:57 pm

    @Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen:

    The defendant argues he didn’t sell juveniles retail. We agree with that. He was selling them wholesale…

    I’m now madly in love with US Assistant Attorney Zubrod. He’s righteous.

    As for this POS, he got what he deserved.

  80. 80.

    Brachiator

    August 11, 2011 at 2:59 pm

    @Suffern ACE:

    I still don’t know why this was allowed to go on for so long, except he probably chose his victims wisely from the classes of people that serious people don’t like to listen to.

    Yep. It wasn’t about race, and it wasn’t that this guy was a Republican. It was about a slimeball with authority looking for the most vulnerable people he could find, to exploit for gain, with no regard for them whatsoever.

  81. 81.

    Ben Cisco

    August 11, 2011 at 3:11 pm

    Wow! A h/t! Thanks!

  82. 82.

    The Other Chuck

    August 11, 2011 at 3:21 pm

    The corporation that ran the prisons? Still around, are they? Did any of them see any consequences?

  83. 83.

    Angela

    August 11, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    So what happened to the builder for tampering with the legal system and giving bribes?

  84. 84.

    Gus diZerega

    August 11, 2011 at 3:28 pm

    We need a political and economic system that does not give the competitive edge to sociopaths, which this creep obviously is.

  85. 85.

    Angela

    August 11, 2011 at 3:35 pm

    @The Other Chuck: I googled the builder – Mericle – appears to be still going strong, they admitted to the bribe, plea bargained and this – Mr. Mericle remains free pending his sentencing, which has been postponed until after the Ciavarella trial. As part of his plea agreement, Mr. Mericle has placed $2.15 million in an escrow account that would be distributed to local organizations that aid children after he has been sentenced.

  86. 86.

    Tom_23

    August 11, 2011 at 3:35 pm

    Wasn’t this one of the featured stories in Capitalism, A Love Story of Michael Moore fame?

  87. 87.

    Nutella

    August 11, 2011 at 3:36 pm

    Classic white collar criminal: He’s committed a particularly disgusting crime many times over and he’s all indignant that the prosecutor was not sufficiently respectful.

  88. 88.

    John Puma

    August 11, 2011 at 3:41 pm

    Given the prison-industrial complex, this pig must represent the mere tip of the iceberg.

    When do we go after the rest^

  89. 89.

    Ash Can

    August 11, 2011 at 3:42 pm

    My only disappointment here is that 28 years seems like a very light sentence under the circumstances, and may not be enough to keep him locked up for the rest of his life. On the other hand, Jeffrey Dahmer didn’t need 28 years, so there’s hope.

  90. 90.

    Neo

    August 11, 2011 at 3:46 pm

    @Roger Moore:
    Both judges are Democrats

  91. 91.

    rea

    August 11, 2011 at 3:56 pm

    My only disappointment here is that 28 years seems like a very light sentence under the circumstances, and may not be enough to keep him locked up for the rest of his life.

    He’s 61 years old, so he’ll be 89 if and when he completes his sentence. Not much time off for good behavior in the federal system . . .

  92. 92.

    RobNYNY1957

    August 11, 2011 at 4:17 pm

    It’s about 2.5 days for each one of the 4000 children affected. Seems pretty light.

  93. 93.

    Gustopher

    August 11, 2011 at 4:19 pm

    Well, I think it’s a bit light for what he did. I hope the other inmates beat him to within an inch of his life on a regular basis.

    Give him a long life of pain and suffering. He deserves it.

  94. 94.

    JGabriel

    August 11, 2011 at 4:27 pm

    @Neo:

    Both judges are Democrats

    Bullshit. They’re elected judges. They cross-filed and ran for office under BOTH party lines, Democratic and Republican.

    .

  95. 95.

    RSA

    August 11, 2011 at 4:29 pm

    From the article:

    His attorneys had asked for a “reasonable” sentence in court papers, saying, in effect, that he’d already been punished enough. “The media attention to this matter has exceeded coverage given to many and almost all capital murders, and despite protestation, he will forever be unjustly branded as the ‘Kids for Cash’ judge,” their sentencing memo said.

    What a laughable equivalence.

  96. 96.

    JGabriel

    August 11, 2011 at 4:30 pm

    Neo:

    Both judges are Democrats

    Bullshit. They’re elected judges. They cross-filed and ran for office under BOTH party lines, Democratic and Republican — which is very common in Pennsylvania judicial races.

    (Edited to Add: Could a moderator please delete my post at #96, which has formatting errors that FYWP wouldn’t let me correct.)

    .

  97. 97.

    El Cid

    August 11, 2011 at 5:05 pm

    Sure, everyone wants to talk about all the bad things the judge did.

    Why do we never want to talk about all the good things he did?

    He was a job creator!

  98. 98.

    drkrick

    August 11, 2011 at 5:09 pm

    @RSA:

    His attorneys had asked for a “reasonable” sentence in court papers, saying, in effect, that he’d already been punished enough.

    That’s interesting. Years in prison for a 10 year old shoplifter was supposed to be appropriate, but some embarrassment is enough of a price for taking a bribe to do it 4000 times over.

    I understand the need for even the most repellant defendant to get a competent defense, but the advocate who could file that brief really out to be shunned out of the business.

  99. 99.

    Ash Can

    August 11, 2011 at 5:09 pm

    @rea: That’s still not long enough to ensure that he’ll die in the stir. I don’t like the idea of someone like that walking free at all.

  100. 100.

    Kathy in St. Louis

    August 11, 2011 at 5:18 pm

    drkrick@100 Well said. The irony of “he’s been punished enough” cannot be lost on the families of those kids who ended up with jail sentences. If that were the case, then the kids names’ should have been punished in the newspapers, their schools should have been notified of their actions, and they should have been sent home. They would have been “punished enough” for their crimes.

    The more that one sees lawyers on television and reads about their defenses of their clients, the harder it is to think very highly of the profession. At least prostitutes don’t wear $2000 suits and have $500 haircuts, for the most part.

  101. 101.

    MikeJake

    August 11, 2011 at 5:23 pm

    The best part of all this? He was offered a plea bargain for 7 years, but the judge rejected it because he refused to admit that he received the money as a quid pro quo for delivering up the kids. He maintained that it was merely a “finder’s fee” from the juvenile facility owners.

    Such arrogance.

  102. 102.

    Conway193

    August 11, 2011 at 6:19 pm

    Felonious Judge Mark Ciavarella should be thrown into general population so he can enjoy having his capped teeth knocked out of his head by the tattooed fists of angry triple lifers with nothing to lose. Then he can look forward to pulling a train with a horny quartet of hairy, musclebound jailhouse queers, while guards sit back and laugh at his misfortune.

  103. 103.

    JGabriel

    August 11, 2011 at 6:23 pm

    MikeJake:

    [Ciavarella] maintained that it was merely a “finder’s fee” from the juvenile facility owners.

    Ciavarella would have gotten much more support from conservatives if only he’d called it a job creator’s fee.

    .

  104. 104.

    nota bene

    August 11, 2011 at 6:26 pm

    re: restitution for the victims….via his wiki page:

    Ciavarella, whose resignation from the bench took effect on March 16, 2009, submitted an application for pension benefits that same day, seeking to withdraw a lump sum of $232,051 that included $51,699 in interest and to begin receiving $5,156 in monthly pension benefits.[32] However, Ciavarella agreed to a federal injunction freezing his pension benefits on or about May 27, 2009. It was requested by the U.S. Attorney’s office in order to apply the benefits to restitution to the victims.[33]
    Subsequently, the State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS) denied pension benefits to Ciavarella, reversing its earlier position that he is eligible to receive benefits until he is sentenced. SERS ruled the former judge’s guilty pleas to fraud and conspiracy in February provided sufficient grounds to deny the benefits. The agency based its determination on the pension forfeiture act, which allows for the denial of benefits to anyone convicted of certain crimes related to their public employment. SERS also refused to repay Ciavarella the $234,000 he contributed to the retirement system because the state Department of Public Welfare claims he and Conahan are liable for $4.3 million in alleged overpayments it made to two juvenile detention centers.[34][35][36]
    Ciavarella has appealed the decision, and his attorney alleges that the withdrawal of his guilty plea aids that appeal since there is now no guilty plea on file.[37]

    He’s still fighting for his pension. He still can’t bring himself to concede that he did anything wrong. What are you gonna do with that $5K a month while you’re in the Big House, you rotten SOB?

    @ #100–this guy’s lawyers are not doing themselves any favors.

  105. 105.

    WaterGirl

    August 11, 2011 at 7:43 pm

    @Cat Lady:

    There’s a movie in this for some enterprising screenwriter wannabe.

    I’m late to the thread, but…

    I have already seen this exact plot on a TV show – seems like 2 or 3 years ago. I can’t remember which show.

  106. 106.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    August 11, 2011 at 9:46 pm

    @Cat Lady:

    The only thing better would be if they let all of the kids he sent away taunt him and throw shit at him every day left of his miserable life.

    Can’t get all of them, since what he did drove at least one to suicide.

    I have teenage boys, and the rage I have for this man will not subside.

  107. 107.

    Cacti

    August 11, 2011 at 9:47 pm

    @nota bene:

    What are you gonna do with that $5K a month while you’re in the Big House, you rotten SOB?

    Pay for protection from the other inmates.

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