St Bryan Of Luzerne County

A couple of weeks ago the trial of Harlow Cuadra ended with a guilty verdict in the murder of Bryan Kocis. It marked an end to a horrific time where man’s most base instincts came to light.

A brutal vicious murder that brought untold grief and horror to many people. There is no way to measure the loss of Bryan to those who loved him, those who knew him and cared about him. I understand that.

During the trial, and afterward a picture was painted of Bryan Kocis that could be summed up in the words of his sister on a blog after the verdict.

“Bryan was a good, honest person in a bad, dishonest business.”

The trial is over, the murderers have been brought to justice, it is time to clear the table here.

I spent 15 years of my life in this “business”. In that 15 years I worked with and knew many honorable and decent people. In those 15 years I never encountered a more reprehensible vile person that Bryan Kocis. I have been trying for days to decide what to write, so I have gone through countless emails, court documents, and my own anecdotal knowledge and came to some conclusions that I would like to share.

Lets start at the beginning. my friend Jerry Douglas would tell you there are two types of people who make porn, those that are in it for the work, and those that are in it for the boys.

It is obvious which one of those Bryan Kocis was.

In 2001 Bryan Kocis was arrested for videotaping himself having sex with a 15 year old boy. To hear his apologists tell it was a model that lied about his age. Let’s look at that for a moment. There was no Cobra Video at the time of the incident, that came later. Does anyone remember a series of video’s with the then 38 year old Bryan Kocis and young men ever going on the market?

Lets get real here.

Bryan was using the guise of making video’s to lure in young men. Somehow he managed to plead down and walk away and start a video company. Now that we see the judges in that county pleading guilty to various crimes, and one can see the atmosphere in that county then was not a good one for justice. Somehow Bryan Kocis walked away from a molestation charge and started a company shooting young men.

Bryan Kocis was a pariah in the porn business.

He relished that position and embraced it. He brought a 17 year old Brent Corrigan to Pennsylvania for the summer by assuring his mother, on an art school related pretext. So much for an honest man in a dis-honest business. In my 15 years again I never saw anything like that. A man fresh from a molestation situation has a 17 year old boy in his home all summer long.

Now it is possible that the reason he had Brent there was for bible studies, but more than likely it was not. We have here a pattern of an older man with the money and power using it for sexual purposes. You hear over and over again about the conniving Brent using Bryan.

No, sorry the 17 year old was the abused one here. Not the 40 year old with the money, the house, the transportation and the control. This is not a situation that is either normal, or acceptable in porn. It was in a word wrong.

My next point is one that infuriates me beyond words.

The issue of Brent Corrigan using a fake ID to make video’s, Brent the evil manipulator..Horseshit. It really does not matter a lick what Brent Corrigan did here, or his motivation for doing it. One of the first things I learned in porn was the younger looking the model the more ID you needed. No reputable person would EVER shoot anyone on the basis of an emailed picture of an ID. EVER.

If I had a model that looked questionable I would require 3 pieces of ID and ask for friends and references. That was the standard. My battles with Caryn Goldberg at Freshman magazine were legendary regarding models they thought looked under 18. They might have all the ID in the world and they would not shoot them.

My distributor demanded more than one ID, as did everyone else. Those of us that shot in the 18-23 YO age group were especially careful. We always went the extra mile.

The Jeff Browning episode was a strong reminder of the perils. If Brent Corrigan came to me with an emailed picture of an ID he would not have been shot. He would have been required to provide at least 3 pieces in hand for inspection and then some. This happened because Bryan did not care about what the others in the industry considered necessary. That was the failure here. The responsibility was in the producers hands.

Next point was the unprecedented way Bryan went after a 17 yo when Brent finally had enough and fled the abusive situation he was in. Make no mistake the mixture of sex and money and control was abuse in it’s purest form. At some point Brent realized that for his own survival he needed to flee this abusive controlling prick.

He was strong enough to get away and he drove away in the car Bryan gave him. Most people are not that strong, and they die in the abuse. Psychologically they die. They give in, they learn to “Take It Like A Bitch Boy”.

When Bryan did not get his way he was relentless and evil.

No one in porn ever acted like that. He sent people across the country to humiliate and try to destroy Brent.(photo at left) He both publicly and privately went after Brent in ways that were frankly abusive and repulsive. This is where we, the porn business, really let Brent down.

We stood silently by while this bully bullied. Falcon let him down. They promised to stand by him and they caved. If Chuck Holmes were alive he would have squished Kocis like a bug. They wanted to use him then abandoned him.

Eventually Brent had to work, had to eat and with no end in sight he and Grant decided to settle. They were alone, no one stood by them. I to this day regret I did not do so. I was at the time mired in my own hell that was devouring everything around me and I did not take the time.

I justified it in my own head by saying these are bareback people let them do themselves in. I was wrong. An abused person escaped from an abuser and we stood silent. They went to settle even when the “Honest man in a dishonest business” was double dealing them with their business partner. Despicable behavior from a despicable man. This honest man who started a bareback trend on lies for profit.

Bryan was murdered. There is no justification for that.

Jeffery Dahmer, and John Geoghan were murdered. It did not make them nice people. Like a bad episode of Perry Mason the first conclusion everyone thought of was it had to be Brent and Grant.

The speculation was relentless and the same people who supported Bryan during his life continued the abuse from the grave. What Brent and Grant did next was not to run and hide from it, but rather to do what needed to be done to bring murderers to justice.

It took courage to go to meet with people who you knew were cold blooded killers and could snap your neck and kill you long before the police watching could stop them. They did it, and they helped put murderers away. Yet in some places the abuse by Bryan Kocis continues. This image (sanitized) of Bryan Kocis, is part of that abuse.

I never in my 15 years touched a model. I am not saying that does not happen but those whose primary purpose is sex with the boys are a minority. It is sexual harassment and abuse.

Bryan Kocis talked with underage boys online all the time. I know of several. They could not have been the only ones. His business was getting into their pants as much as it was shooting them in porn. He was a predator and an abuser. His death did not change that or mitigate that.

More often than not I would talk a young man out of doing porn if I thought it was not something they should do. Many of us were like that. If your goal is to bed them, you come from a different place. He was not concerned with their welfare, he was concerned with their ass.

He was not an “Honest man in a dishonest business”

There are two points I would like to make. Had Bryan Kocis done what he should have when Brent was 17 there would have been no Brent Corrigan. Plain and simple. Does anyone think the moment he found out Brent was underage, he notified everyone and pulled the video’s back?

In the porn world I was in, Brent would have never been shot.

The second point is if Bryan had said to Brent Go for it. If you think there is a better world out there good luck. One learns in life there is no percentage in holding anyone back. Brent would have progressed or not, Bryan would have prospered as well. Instead he went on a rampage of evil bile that devoured everything around it. There would have been no contractual obligation to end. Bryan would still be alive.

Enough of St. Bryan of Luzerne County.

This man was evil. His legacy of Barebacking Twinks stands as a homage to the debased mind of a predator. We as an industry should protect the youngest in it. We should have stropped Bryan by speaking out. I will forever regret that I did not. What I will not do again is stand by and allow his abuse to be carried out from the grave.

Brent Corrigan was abused and was a hero in the end. He has more courage and class in his pinky than that abuser had in his entire being, and he should be admired for standing up and helping put Joe and Harlow away, and thanked for placing his life on the line to snare the murderers.

As for those that want to continue the abuse,

Shame on You!

Kevin Clarke

Kevin Clarke is the GayVn Award winning director of The American Way,American Way 2-Lust,The Heartland,A Young Man's World,Ashton Ryans B-Boys,The Seduction of a Surfer and The American City.

Kevin Clarke spent 15 years in the Gay Porn buisness directing some of the top selling Gay Adult DVD's and he has a unique perspective on Bryan Kocis.

Photo at left Kevin Clarke,Jerry Douglas,George DuRoy

Brent Corrigan Testifies

2 years, 1 month and 3 days since Cobra Video Owner/Producer Bryan Kocis was brutally murdered and his house burned down Brent Corrigan his biggest star, and former lover, all while underage, took the stand today in a packed courtroom in Luzerne County for the trial of Harlow Cuadra.

The day long awaited by Corrigan Watchers and Kocis Haters had arrived when Sean Lockhart (Brent Corrigan) would take the stand after swearing to Tell the Truth and Nothing But the Truth!

So what have we heard in today's crucial testimony?

Brent Corrigan first began to receive comments on My Space from Harlow Cuadra in the fall of 2006, they first began two way communication in December 06 (I was an observer of that)

He described Harlows desire and offers of exorbitant compensation($50,000) to star in videos together as "desperate"

He acknowledged for the first time in open court,under oath and at legal jepoardy to himself that he was indeed underage (17) when he filmed 4 DVD's for Cobra Video. That he procured a fake ID with his then boyfriend Chris Henriquez in order to film at Cobra.

He accepted on the stand FULL PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for those actions!

Which I might add Sean Lockhart has done repeatedly since August 2005!
And in four formal interviews with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Not once has Robert Wagner,Bryan Kocis or Chris Henriquez acknowledged any culpability in this crime. Indeed Robert Wagner and Bryan Kocis were guilty of Obstruction of Justice and Conspiracy for actively pleading with Sean to "keep quiet" and Mr.Kocis even threatened to kill Sean in December 2004!

The defense of course and as expected zeroed in on this and other "Kocisphere lore and facts"
asking point blank questions of Lockhart about the nature of his relationship with Kocis,Cuadra and Grant Roy.


But the main reason for Sean's testimony today was to explain and prepare for the presentation of the Blacks Beach and Crab Catcher Wire Intercepts of April 27th and 28th 2007.

Videos (filmed by Joe Kerekes, Harlows partner and Grant Roy) of that nude beach encounter between Brent and Harlow were played for the jury. Yes an Eastern Penn jury was treated to some Soft-core nudity.

A seven minute video of Harlow Cuadra and Sean Lockhart playing catch with a football and walking nude on a beach near San Diego, Calif., was played to the jury on Friday. While walking along the beach on April 27, 2007, Lockhart said Cuadra and Kerekes were "opening up" about the murder.

This made Lockhart upset, he testified, and he fell behind. "Cuadra dropped back, he touched my arm and he said, 'don't worry, it was quick, he went quick,'" Lockhart testified while nearly sobbing.

After 2 years Sean Lockhart was a much more important star witness in this case than some had led us to believe. He was on the stand most of the day,before lunch and well into the afternoon, so much for the ten minutes I was flippantly told he would be on then dismissed.

Sean's testimony today was important and crucial to make the case that Harlow Cuadra was infatuated with Brent Corrigan, that he thought Brent was the answer to his financial dreams,that Harlow "Believed" Bryan Kocis was a rival and needed to be eliminated.

And more important to establish that Harlow thought he was doing Brent a favor by eliminating Kocis. Almost the reasoning of a love sick child not a man.

Today's testimony caps the first week of the Harlow Cuadra trial and will immediately lead into the crucial bombshell Intercepts on Monday. Grant Roy is expected to testify and based on his powerful testimony in late July 2008 we can expect some fireworks!

A personal note.
I have been following Brent Corrigan for nearly 5 years, as fans we always knew he was an amazing performer, a smart and articulate person, a good writer.

As a friend I have witnessed his humor,his personal integrity and most important his loyalty to his friends and family. Despite what haters may say it is what you witness first hand that convinces you someone is a person you can trust and respect.

Confident, poised and sure of his words.

A jury in Luzerene County witnessed what I have watched for 3 years, a confident persuasive young man. A young man who risked his life cavorting and chatting up two killers on that nude beach, to extract the evidence needed to convict them for the murder of a man who had ultimately betrayed his trust and threatened his life.

Today Brent Corrigan Testified like a Rockstar!

Brent Corrigan may be a Porn Star but Sean Lockhart is ...
A man to be proud of.

DeWayne Helms



A fellow Blogger Quickysrt is in Wilkes-Barre this week for the trial and has a lot more inside observations from the courtroom below.

quickysrt said...

ok, well it was quite a moment in the week, a week which wrapped up with star witness Sean taking the stand.

He arrived wearing a cherry red sweater, dark gray dress slacks, and crisp white collared shirt, he looked stunning. The pants were perfect fitting and his posture screamed confidence.

It became apparent he was going to answer the questions his way, and even request that some questions be restated. Several times, he stopped to consider the wording of a question and asked if it could be repeated. He actually took control of the pace of his entire testimony. While he looked all of 17 years old, he showed some skill at handling this kind of stress no 17 y/o would have.

The under age videos would be delved into in detail, what time frame his summers in PA, when he met Grant, and exactly what kind of relationship they had. Everything about Bryan's ideas for Sean's future with him, and the settlement which was going to be good for him financially and well as professionally both outside of Cobra, and with his own production company.

And of course the Vegas dinner and all email, myspace, AIM, and cell phone correspondence with Harlow were gone over.

I noticed that almost every seat has been taken while Sean is on the stand. Like word got out that this is the feature attraction or something.

On cross exam. Sean's posture changed, he was just slightly more slumped in seat with arms bracing him up rather than his back being perfectly straight.

But he still refused to let defense attorney put words into his mouth without adding his own reasoning to the record. Like 'you seem to be good at pretending to be into it" (after black's beach video was played in full) Sean answered that he knows when he "has" to do something, he does it, and he had to do this.

btw, the video from the nude beach was surreal, to be seeing this full frontal nude video in court, it was 7 min. long (7 minutes and 19 seconds to be exact)but felt like 45 min. Harlow did not look at the screen at all during it, nor did his Mother. Normally you hear coughs in court, or bits of whispering now and again. During the play of this video is was deadly quiet, not one sound in the room at all.

The point early on when asked about lying about his age for porn, he was stopped by the judge who asked him to consider a lawyer, consider not answering some questions without an attorney present, and offered him an attorney to be arranged.

There was a break while jury left the room to discuss this with Sean. Sean decided that it had been five years with no criminal complaint against him, and that he should not worry now about the past, and just carry on. Jury returned and carry on he indeed did.

It was pure balls, and I felt it gave his testimony even more edge. It also kept up the impression that Sean was running the show concerning his testimony. This court was not going to keep him from telling this story his own way.

It was damaging for the defense, and on cross examination the only thing they managed to prove is that Joe made some of the myspace add friend requests to Sean's page.

There were a few gasps, and laughs, like when the video title "Young Bucks In Heat" was mentioned. A few of us laughed and looked at each other.

Unreal day, and unreal end to the week.

Quickysrt

Some links from today...

Timesleader day 4 coverage

Citizens Voice trial Update

Gay Wired.com

Jims Silence of the Chinchillas

Rants and Views

Harlow and Joe Trial Blog

WNEP TV 16 below

Case Fixing in Luzerne County PA?

Rumors about Luzerne County Justice have been rampant in the legal community for years, the Federal probe is entering its 4th year and with two Judges and a Court Commissioner exposed, speculation now turns to further charges of corruption ensnaring Judges,lawyers and County Commissioners.

It seems Justice in Luzerne county could indeed be purchased. Something I have been alleging for years!

Indeed I specifically charged Cobra Video owner Bryan Kocis purchased Justice in the courtroom of Judge Michael T Conahan in 2002. A charge which I made on the blogs in February 2007 and which resulted in the only direct(anonymous) threat made against me.

Case Fixing is the ultimate betrayal of the public trust!
Suffice to say the ramifications for Eastern Pennsylvania will last years and cost this county millions of dollars in judgments, fines and the complete and irrevocable loss of the public trust!

DeWayne H







Rumors Abound That Alleged Case-Fixing Is Target of Pa. Probe

The Legal Intelligencer

Leo Strupczewski and Peter Hall

February 9, 2009

For a long time, auto insurance defense attorneys have considered it the cost of doing business in Luzerne County -- the difficulty of finding an agreeable neutral arbitrator, the large settlements, the funny feeling that something was off.

But, as the saying goes, what you know and what you can prove are two different things.

In the wake of U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Martin C. Carlson's announcement last month of fraud charges against former President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella and Senior Judge Michael T. Conahan and charges of embezzlement against a third court official last week, buzz that the U.S. Attorney's Office is targeting lawyers has reached a fever pitch. There are rampant rumors that federal authorities are investigating alleged case fixing.

Carlson, in an interview Tuesday, would not discuss aspects of his investigation beyond the charges already filed, but did say that it is ongoing.

Although law enforcement has not made allegations of case fixing, sources have said in numerous interviews with The Legal Intelligencer that an alleged quid pro quo scheme for some plaintiffs attorneys was established in uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist arbitration cases in Luzerne County long ago.

"That's been the rumor and innuendo for years here," said Lesa Gelb, a Kingston, Pa., plaintiffs attorney.

"There's nothing inherently wrong with going to the court for a neutral [arbitrator]," she continued. "The question is if it's stacked. The rumor in Luzerne County -- and it is a rumor -- is that the decks were stacked."

James K. Thomas, the managing partner of Thomas Thomas & Hafer's office in Harrisburg, said he sees Luzerne County as a "very difficult place to be a defense lawyer."

"You always wound up with people we considered to be very pro-plaintiff," Thomas said. "You wound up with what we considered to be outrageous awards."

"Frankly we recommended to a number of our clients that they move to get the arbitration provisions out of their policies because of what we perceived to be rampant abuses in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area," Thomas said.

Thomas C. Raup, a retired Lycoming County Common Pleas judge, said he was shocked when he began working as an arbitrator in 1998 by the stories he heard from insurance defense lawyers about "ridiculous settlement offers" and the appointment of plaintiffs lawyers as neutral arbitrators.

"I have refused to sit there," Raup said. "But I did sit on one case as a defense arbitrator to see if I could see it from the inside."

In that case, Raup said, the plaintiff's counsel opened with a statement that the case was worth $2.5 million. Raup said he stated why he had agreed to serve as the defense arbitrator and the case eventually settled for far less than the seven figures the plaintiff initially sought.

"I thought it would be interesting and in the interest of the profession to do that," said Raup. "I have never been asked to be a neutral over there."

However, another plaintiffs attorney said there was nothing improper about the system.

Talk of case assignments surfaced during the trial of former Luzerne County Judge Ann H. Lokuta before the state Court of Judicial Discipline, more than a year ago. Lokuta is now challenging the court's finding that she violated the Code of Judicial Conduct and the state constitution and its decision to remove her from the bench.

Lokuta testified that she has spoken to the U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI agents about instances in which three cases assigned to her were suddenly reassigned to Ciavarella or Conahan, according to the transcripts. Francis J. Puskas, deputy chief counsel for the Judicial Conduct Board, and the man who prosecuted the case against Lokuta, told The Legal Intelligencer recently that Lokuta testified during her trial that she spoke to the FBI about docketing in Luzerne and identified three cases that had been reassigned from her.

A PROFOUND EFFECT

James C. Haggerty, of the Philadelphia defense firm Swartz Campbell, said arbitration practices in Luzerne County have had a profound effect on Pennsylvania law.

"[Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania v. Commonwealth, Department of Insurance (Koken),] was pursued because of the outrageous UM/UIM awards coming out of Luzerne County," said Haggerty, who is chairman of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute's auto insurance committee.

In that 2005 state Supreme Court decision, the Insurance Federation won a holding that automobile insurance carriers are not required to include a mandatory arbitration clause in auto insurance policies for the resolution of UM/UIM cases. Defense and plaintiffs lawyers, alike, agree that Koken has altered the landscape of auto insurance arbitration.

"It has changed," said an attorney with a Philadelphia defense firm who does defense work in Luzerne. "Koken had a chilling effect. These guys know now that they cannot control the process. A lot of these cases are still going to arbitration, but this now allows us to get a fair arbitration panel."

NO NOTICE

A Luzerne County lawyer who has handled UM/UIM arbitration cases there said plaintiffs attorneys involved in the alleged scheme rarely approached defense counsel to compromise on a neutral arbitrator -- a practice common in many other counties. Instead, defense counsel would often receive a phone call informing him or her that the plaintiffs attorney had already filed a petition for a neutral arbitrator.

And that is where connections allegedly came into play.

The judge handling the petition was left to pick a name, the lawyer said, because there was no list from which UM/UIM arbitrators were pulled.

It was an arrangement that allowed for a system in which plaintiffs attorneys could receive an arbitrator who would lean their way and raise the value of the case, the source alleged. In exchange, the plaintiff's attorney allegedly returned the favor.

"It's the same players getting the same people appointed," the lawyer said.

Conrad Falvello, a Sugarloaf, Pa., plaintiffs attorney, said he doesn't believe there was ever a practice of rigging UM/UIM arbitration. He also said he has seen no indication that members of the plaintiffs bar are under investigation.

However, Falvello said there were idiosyncrasies in Luzerne County's civil court procedures that did leave defense lawyers out of the loop when it came time to appoint a neutral arbitrator.

Falvello said in most arbitration cases, he was able to agree with defense counsel on a neutral arbitrator. When he failed to reach an agreement, he would tell his opposing counsel that he planned to present a petition in motions court and tell them the date.

"Some guys would just pop up with a petition to appoint a neutral without giving defense notice," Falvello said. "I don't doubt that was done by some guys. But I also don't know of any rule that required notice."

Falvello said there were also inconsistencies between members of the bench.

"It depended on the judges. Some would appoint. Some would say, 'Notify defense counsel and come back,'" Falvello said. "At that time, I don't think there was a specific local rule that addressed that procedure. So, in that sense, I don't know that any rules were violated."

One insurance defense lawyer who works in-house for a major insurance carrier in Luzerne County said the effort to control the appointment of neutral arbitrators was more regimented. He claimed to recall that in about 2003 an order was printed in the Luzerne County Register, a weekly publication of the Luzerne County Law and Library Association, that directed all petitions to appoint neutral arbitrators to be brought before Conahan, who was then president judge. Later, a similar order was allegedly published directing such petitions to Ciavarella, who was elected president judge in 2006.

"If I knew what I know now, I should have saved those and bronzed them," the attorney said.

A search of the Luzerne County Court rules failed to turn up such an order. The county law librarian said such orders are not kept beyond a year. A call to the prothonotary's office was not returned before press time.

A LOOK AT THE DOCKET

Though court records seem to back up allegations that plaintiffs lawyers took turns serving as neutral arbitrators in each other's cases, the Luzerne County lawyer said only a fraction of the arbitration conducted in the county would have been linked to the names of insurance companies.

Some petitions for a neutral arbitrator are filed with the third party as the defendant and others don't get docketed at all, the lawyer said.

Most often, though, the threat of a petition is enough to convince a defense attorney to agree to an arbitrator without involving judges.

The lawyer said it can be better that way.

"[You think to yourself,] 'I know I'm not going to do very well with the court,' so you agree to somebody who's not going to screw me completely," the lawyer said. "You're not going in there thinking you're getting somebody who's a decent arbitrator."

According to court records examined by The Legal Intelligencer involving a selected group of 10 major auto insurance companies, plaintiffs lawyers filed petitions to appoint neutral arbitrators on 43 occasions between 1995 and 2008.

In 29 of those cases, the same six law firms represented the plaintiffs. In 13 of the 43 cases, attorneys from the same six firms, all of which market themselves as plaintiffs firms, were also appointed as neutral arbitrators. Twice, there were no records for plaintiffs attorneys. The names of the appointed arbitrators were not recorded in seven cases.

In 22 of the 43 cases, the judge was either Conahan or Ciavarella. There was no record of a judge in two of those cases.

The outcome of arbitration in which the lawyers named participated is not a public record. There is no evidence to suggest that the result of arbitration in the cases examined was improper. Nor is there anything to suggest plaintiffs law firms did anything improper to be appointed neutral arbitrators. Ciavarella and Conahan have not been charged with anything related to allegations of case fixing UM/UIM cases.

In one of the cases reassigned from Lokuta to Ciavarella, Pockevich v. Lindstrom, a jury returned a $352,500 verdict that included no economic damages. The verdict included $250,000 for past and future emotional distress, $75,000 for loss of life's pleasures and $27,500 for pain and suffering. The verdict came after Ciavarella granted a plaintiff's motion to preclude a defense psychiatric expert from testifying.

The lawyer with the Philadelphia defense firm said he often perceived the appointment of neutral arbitrators to be predetermined, even when he had a chance to weigh in.

"I've submitted lists of 25 to 30 names of extraordinarily qualified judges and lawyers as arbitrators," he said. "They'd all be rejected."

The in-house lawyer said he has also grown accustomed to reasonable suggestions being rejected.

"I've recommended [former] Supreme Court Justice [Russell M.] Nigro and they've rejected him," he said. "I've recommended these guys who are fairer than the day is long and they've rejected them."

"It's beyond coincidence that these guys constantly got each other as neutrals," the lawyer said.

If there have been improprieties in the conduct of Luzerne County insurance arbitration, it would be very difficult to prove, the lawyer with the Philadelphia firm said.

He said plaintiffs lawyers used inflated demands to deflect questions about the fairness of neutral arbitrators.

"They put these huge, ungodly numbers on the board, but that's their cover. When a smaller number comes back, no one gives it a second look," he said. "Even if the neutral arbitrator comes back with half that ungodly number, everyone says, 'Oh, that wasn't bad. He only gave her half the economic loss.'"

But in a system that functions on honesty and judgment of lawyers sworn to seek justice, perceptions carry little weight, the lawyer said.

"There's no smoking gun, and until you get your smoking gun you're not going to get anything," he said.

Further reading Justice for Sale

UPDATE:
The United States District Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has posted an information and clearing house WebSite for judicial Corruption in Luzeren County.

Anyone with reports of maleficence and criminal behavior is encouraged to contact the FBI.

LUZERNE COUNTY CORRUPTION PROSECUTIONS

If you believe that you were a victim of an offense being prosecuted as part of the Luzerne County corruption prosecutions, and if you want to learn more about your rights as a victim, please contact us in writing at the following address: United States Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Attention: Laurie Reiley, P.O. Box 1023, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Please include details that explain why you feel you are a victim in this case.

If you believe that you have information relating to criminal wrongdoing please contact FBI Special Richard Southerton at 570-344-2404... or the IRS at 570-969-5300..

New FBI raid on Luzerne County Justice

The ever widening Federal investigation of corruption in the Luzerne County Justice System took a new turn with Fresh FBI raids and boxes of evidence seized form the Clerk of Courts and Court Treasurer. It is very apparent the focus of the Federal investigation has centered on two men Judge Michael T.Conahan and Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr.

Allegations of financial gain,perverted justice,association with common criminals for financial gain,steering public funds for private gain, the list is endless!

It is apparent the two judges should not be counting on retirement living in Florida, instead they will be spending their golden years at Club Fed!

Perverted Justice becomes Justice Served!


Luzerne County court probe widens


BY MICHAEL R. SISAK AND DAVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITERS
Published: Friday, August 22, 2008
Updated: Friday, August 22, 2008 4:30 AM EDT
WILKES-BARRE — Federal agents investigating the alleged theft of funds from the Luzerne County court administrator’s office served subpoenas this week on that office and two others within the county courthouse, Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll said Thursday.

Agents from the FBI served the subpoenas Tuesday on the county treasurer’s office and the clerk of courts office, as well as the court administrator’s office, Ms. Musto Carroll said.

“My office and myself are working closely with the FBI,” Ms. Musto Carroll said. “They’ve been here and they’ll continue to be here.”

Deputy Treasurer Dominick DePolo, who on Wednesday confirmed agents were in his office looking for “court-related stuff,” said Thursday he was unaware other county offices were also being investigated.

The treasurer’s office collects, invests and disburses county funds and issues various permits and licenses, such as for hunting and fishing.

“I’m presuming they will be back,” Mr. DePolo said of the agents. “That was sort of indicated.”

Court Administrator William T. Sharkey, whose office performs the managerial functions of the county court system, including scheduling and budgeting, is on a monthlong leave of absence and could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Sharkey’s deputy, John P. Mulroy, and Peter J. Adonizio, a special court administrator, did not return a message left for comment. President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr., who oversees the Office of Court of Administration, did not return a telephone message.

Paul McGarry, the director of court administrative services, said he was unaware of the investigation until he watched a report about it Thursday on a local television news broadcast.

Clerk of Courts Robert F. Reilly, whose office maintains the records of criminal cases prosecuted within the county, was said to be on vacation this week and could not be reached for comment.

FBI spokeswoman Jerri Williams said Wednesday she could not confirm or deny that subpoenas had been served.

The same investigators who served the subpoenas on the three county offices Tuesday searched the offices of the Luzerne County juvenile probation department in June, seizing records, contracts and other documents related to the detention and treatment of juvenile offenders since 2002.

FBI agents inspected documents involving the placement of juveniles at the Pennsylvania Child Care facility in Pittston Twp. and the Western Pennsylvania Child Care facility in Butler County.

The facilities were co-owned until June by Robert J. Powell, a prominent attorney with financial ties to Judge Ciavarella and Senior Judge Michael T. Conahan.

Contact the writers: msisak@citizensvoice.com, djanoski@citizensvoice.com

source Citizens Voice

Just call me Judge Dirty!

Officials: Conahan ordered deposits to his bank

Conahan

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BY DAVE JANOSKI
PROJECTS EDITOR

Published: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 11:03 AM EDT

Former Luzerne County President Judge Michael T. Conahan directed millions of government dollars to a bank of which he is a director by ordering the county’s magisterial district judges to deposit their fines there, county and state officials say.

First National Community Bank — where billionaire casino owner Louis A. DeNaples was chairman of the board until his recent indictment on perjury charges — handles about $7 million in deposits from those magisterial district courts each year, state and county audits show.

Conahan, whose financial holdings are a focus of an ongoing FBI investigation into the county courts, did not return phone messages seeking comment Tuesday.

Conahan’s decision to direct district court deposits to the bank came shortly before or after he was named to the bank board in 2003, county Court Administrator William Sharkey said Tuesday. Before that decision, the county’s 17 magisterial district judges, who handle traffic tickets, small civil cases and preliminary hearings in criminal cases, used banks of their own choosing.

Sharkey said the change was made because First National Community Bank, headquartered in Dunmore, offered a countywide courier service with daily pickup.

“Some of the magistrates had some concerns for security reasons. They weren’t too thrilled about taking deposits to the bank every day,” Sharkey said.

Sharkey said he didn’t know if the bank approached the county or if Conahan sought proposals from other banks.

“I’m not quite sure how that happened,” Sharkey said. “I’m not sure if they contacted the county and they offered the courier services or vice versa.”

James Koval, communications manager for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, confirmed that First National Community Bank is the depository for all district courts in Luzerne County. He said decisions about where to deposit fines from district courts are left up to the president judge in each county. The fines are divided between the state and county, with more than two-thirds typically going to the state.

Koval said his office exercises no oversight over the selection of the banks and has no rules governing the selection.

“I’m not aware of any rule that addresses this head-on,” Koval said.

Joseph A. Massa Jr., chief counsel for the state Judicial Conduct Board, which enforces the state Code of Judicial Conduct, did not return phone messages Tuesday.

Conahan was paid $57,583 as a director at First National Community Bancorp Inc. in 2007, according to the bank’s U.S. Security and Exchange Commission filings. He owns 55,927 shares in the bank worth $755,014 at Tuesday’s closing price of $13.50 per share.

DeNaples, a Dunmore businessman with holdings in landfills, used auto parts and real estate, owns about 10 percent of the bank’s 15.8 million outstanding shares. His brother and son, who are also directors of the bank, own about 9 percent. The DeNaples’ shares are worth $40 million.

The bank reported having $945 million in deposits in 2007.

DeNaples took a leave of absence from the bank board on Feb. 6 after he was charged with lying to state gaming regulators about ties to organized crime figures when seeking a license for his Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County, which opened last year.

Federal banking regulators subsequently suspended him from the board and prohibited him from participating in the affairs of the bank while the charges are pending. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board barred DeNaples from Mount Airy and appointed a trustee to oversee the casino until the criminal case is concluded.

DeNaples, 67, and bank President and CEO J. David Lombardi, who is acting chairman of the board, did not return phone messages Tuesday.

Conahan, who retired last year at age 56 and is now a senior judge presiding over the county’s Drug Treatment Court, has declined comment on the ongoing federal probe.

Courthouse sources speaking on condition of anonymity say the FBI and IRS have questioned them about Conahan’s links to the former owner of a juvenile detention center. The center made millions from county contracts after Conahan decided to stop sending juveniles to an aging county-owned facility in 2003.

Conahan has described the former co-owner of the facility, Butler Township attorney Robert J. Powell, as a personal friend. The FBI seized county records detailing the county’s dealings with Powell’s center last month.

The Standard-Speaker first reported in May that Conahan and current President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr., who presided over juvenile court for a dozen years, have a financial interest in a townhouse development firm headed by Powell’s law partner, county Prothonotary Jill A. Moran. Powell owned half of the townhouse firm until the second half of 2004.

The townhouse firm, W-Cat Inc., is building an 86-unit development in Wright Township called The Sanctuary with $4.5 million in funding through First National Community Bank. Another director of the bank, Michael G. Cestone, is president of the construction company building the townhouses, S.G. Mastriani Co. Inc.

Cestone did not return a phone message Tuesday.

djanoski@citizensvoice.com

source Standard Speaker