How does the Secret Service Protect and..

Distinguish who the crazy potential threats to a President might be when they are Congressmen or until last year one of the LOONS was in the White House!

Read both and Weep for a nation gone mad...

Georgia Republican Worries Dems Will Declare Martial Law

Posted on Aug 13, 2009

house.gov

Rep. Paul Broun, who once compared Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler, now thinks the president is part of a radical “socialistic elite” that may try to declare martial law. Broun’s comments came during what an area newspaper described as a “relatively peaceful” town hall.

That’s right, while members of Congress around the country have to deal with screaming crazies at their town hall meetings, in one frightening district of Georgia the member of Congress is one of the screaming crazies.

The Raw Story has a comprehensive look at Broun’s comments, including a classic non-apology. —PS

Athens Banner-Herald:

At another point, Broun, who last year made national news by comparing Obama to Hitler, called Cuba’s former dictator Fidel Castro and leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Obama’s “good buddy.”

He also spoke of a “socialistic elite” - Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid - who might use a pandemic disease or natural disaster as an excuse to declare martial law.

“They’re trying to develop an environment where they can take over,” he said. “We’ve seen that historically.”

Calling Gog and Magog...

The first part of William Plaffs article is disgusting enough then it makes a surreal turn into the truly Terrifying! Seems the French President was at a loss at how to deal with the FREAKING LOON in the White House who was telling him France Had to go to war with America against Iraq.

Cause the RAPTURE was coming! Fucking Elmer Gantry!

Bush’s Pioneering Sadists: A Tale From the ‘War on Terror’ Dark Side Posted on Aug 13, 2009

By William Pfaff

PARIS—Little mainstream comment seems to have appeared on the latest revelations of incompetence and sadistic fantasy that have been published this week about the ways in which the American nation lost its honor and international reputation because of the Bush administration’s infatuation with torture.

Or with, as Vice President Dick Cheney has put it, “the dark side”: its eight-year excursion into what commonly is understood to be criminal international behavior, which the former vice president continues to defend with relish and conviction.

The revelations concern the two men who reportedly created the torture techniques that the CIA and U.S. military have been using on prisoners since early in the “war on terror.”

According to The New York Times (in a story by Scott Shane), the two had for years been involved with an Air Force survival course that was supposedly based on Chinese Communist “brainwashing” techniques used in the Korean War.

The program, housed at an Air Force base outside Spokane, Wash, involved midlevel abuse (and sometimes more; one of the two, Bruce Jessen, allegedly had to be stopped in a mock interrogation that colleagues thought had become “pretty scary”). This was to prepare the airmen for what they might meet if captured by an enemy.

Most anyone who has been in military service since the Korean War has been given a taste of this, but it was an Air Force specialty.

Jessen was a farm boy who earned a psychology doctorate at Utah State in what was known as “family sculpting,” in which clients made physical models of their family to deal with emotional relationships.

The other of the two successive head psychologists at the course was Jim Mitchell, a poor boy from Florida who joined the Air Force in 1974 for adventure, became an explosives expert and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology. Later, he received a doctorate at the University of South Florida; his dissertation compared diet and exercise plans in controlling hypertension.

When 2001 came, the two friends saw their opportunity, convincing the government that they were experts on torture. Neither knew much, if anything, about al-Qaida, the intelligence world, Islam, foreign languages or foreign countries.

They simply reversed what they had been teaching, and taught the torture rather than the resistance. According to the Times, they then “made millions selling interrogation and training services to the CIA.”

Now there is an aspect to this which so far as I know has never been mentioned in connection with the U.S. torture program.

“Brainwashing” is a myth. The Defense Department official conclusion after the Korean War was that “no confirmed cases of brainwashing came out of the Korean war.” The DoD said that Chinese Communist treatment of prisoners was not unusual. The academic community eventually concluded that the concept of brainwashing was “not considered useful in Social Science.”

The whole thing came from one sensational book, and the press and public hysteria built up from the fact that some American prisoners in Korea gave “confessions” of war crimes that were used in enemy propaganda, presumably to escape routine brutality or to get privileged treatment.

The Air Force courses of the past 60 years on how to survive brainwashing were cooked up in the United States out of people’s imaginings of what it might be like to be brainwashed. The tortures sold to the CIA by Mitchell and Jessen were made up in the USA.

One more thing must be added to illuminate the atmosphere in which this could have happened in the United States.

The University of Lausanne in Switzerland has allowed it to be made known that one of their theology faculty, professor Thomas Römer, in early 2003 received a call from the Élysée Palace in Paris, the seat of the French presidency.

The president, Jacques Chirac, supposedly wanted a clarification of the significance of the figures of Gog and Magog in biblical prophecy. He was calling Lausanne because he didn’t want his query to be leaked to the press in France.

The theologian explained to him that the two are obscure figures who appear in the Book of Genesis, and again in Ezekiel, in connection with a prophesy of a great war, desired by God, to cleanse the world of his enemies before the arrival of the world’s Last Days, after which a new age would follow.

Chirac reportedly said he was calling because he was distressed that President George Bush had twice telephoned him to inform France’s president that this war was beginning, and urging France to join the United States in fulfilling the divine prophesy. As is well known, France did not do so.

This appears in a new book of interviews by a respected French journalist and friend of Chirac, Jean-Claude Maurice, provocatively called “If You Quote Me, I’ll Deny It.” The report by Maurice has not been confirmed by the former French president. But it has not been denied.

Visit William Pfaff’s Web site at www.williampfaff.com.

Conahan,Ciavarella and the Drug Dealer

Lets take a trip way back to 1990 and Judge Michael Conahans first brush with Political and criminal corruption.

Conahan was described by the federal prosecutor in the Ronald Belletiere Drug trafficking trial in 1991 as an “unindicted co-conspirator.”

Justice is the case of Conahan has been a long time coming!



91 Case looms large casting shadows...

Former Hazleton resident Ronald Belletiere was at the center of a trial 18 years ago.

By Jerry Lynott jlynott@timesleader.com
Business Writer

SCRANTON – When his name came up in a federal trial 18 years ago during his tenure as a district justice in Hazleton, Michael Conahan distanced himself as far as he possibly could from an admitted drug trafficker.

Last week, Conahan, a retired Luzerne County judge, appeared in court and pleaded guilty to unrelated charges before the same judge who heard the accusations in 1991.

Senior U.S. Judge Edwin Kosik accepted Conahan’s plea and that of his fellow county jurist Mark Ciavarella to tax evasion and participating in a scheme to defraud the public of their honest services by accepting $2.6 million in kickbacks involving two juvenile detention centers.

The two disgraced judges will appear before Kosik at a later date for sentencing.

Though nearly two decades separate the cases, common connections of people, place and profession link the figures in this ongoing and growing investigation of corruption in Luzerne County Court.

Among them are:

Ronald Belletiere – a former Hazleton resident and convicted drug dealer who served nearly four years in prison.

A witness at Belletiere’s trial before Judge Kosik in 1991 said Conahan advised the witness his brother’s name was being mentioned by law enforcement at Hazleton City Hall regarding drug activity. The witness, Neal DeAngelo of Hazleton, said Belletiere later called him “at the direction of Mike Conahan … to see if we can do some business.”

Belletiere also was listed as a permanent guest on the list of people who visited the Jupiter, Fla. condominium managed by Conahan’s wife,Barbara.

In 2004, Belletiere opened a used car dealership in Florida with the judge’s wife.

Judge Mark Ciavarella – (left front in photo) defendant in the current case before Judge Kosik. Ciavarella’s wife Cindy is listed as a partner with Barbara Conahan in the Pinnacle Group of Jupiter, LLC which owns a condominium at the Jupiter Yacht Club. The condominium has been for sale since July 2008. They purchased the condo in 2004 for $785,000. The asking price is $995,000.

Judge Michael Conahan – (top right in photo) defendant in the case before Judge Kosik.

Conahan was described by the federal prosecutor in the Belletiere trial as an “unindicted co-conspirator.”

The prosecutor, Malachy Mannion, now a U.S, Magistrate Judge in Wilkes-Barre, summed up the testimony of witness Neal DeAngelo for Judge Kosik during a sidebar conversation not made available to the jury.

Mannion said, “… they were looking for a drug source and Conahan began giving him information that his brother (Paul DeAngelo) was in trouble with the law enforcement authorities and said … ‘I’ll get you somebody from Florida.’ And Ronnie Belletiere called and they met as a result of Conahan’s involvement …”

Conahan denounced the testimony as bogus and said the statements tying him to the Empire drug ring were made by “common criminals trying to help themselves at my expense.”

In the latest charges, federal authorities said Conahan and Ciavarella laundered some of the money they received in the kickback scheme as expenses for the Jupiter, Fla. condo where not only Belletiere stayed, but also attorney Robert Powell, another permanent guest. Powell docked his $1.5 million yacht, the “Reel Justice” in the marina outside the condo. Powell, identified as “Participant 1” by federal authorities, has been implicated in the kickback scheme involving the PA Child Care LLC juvenile detention center he co-owned, but has not been charged.

Neal DeAngelo – witness at Belletiere’s trial and co-founder with his brother Paul of DBI Services, 100 North Conahan Drive, Hazleton.

DeAngelo testified he flew back from Miami in 1987 carrying in his luggage cocaine he bought in Miami. His brother Paul and Neil Forte accompanied him on the trip. Neal DeAngelo was not charged. Forte pleaded guilty in 1989 to operating a criminal enterprise and tax evasion and received a 10-year prison sentence.

Paul DeAngelo - co-founder of DBI Services with his brother Neal.

Paul DeAngelo was sentenced by Judge Kosik to 18 months in prison for his guilty plea to aiding with the distribution of a kilogram of cocaine in 1987. The prosecution sought a departure downward from the mandatory minimum of five years in prison for DeAngelo’s cooperation. He wore a wire in an effort to obtain statements from a “public official” in Hazleton. He and Belletiere also met with the state Judicial Conduct Board to provide information about the “public official” whom prosecutors have never publicly identified.

Senior U.S. Judge Edwin Kosik – will sentence judges Ciavarella and Conahan for their roles in an ongoing public corruption probe in Luzerne County.

Kosik presided over the Belletiere trial in 1991 in which Conahan’s name came up. The federal judge also sentenced Paul DeAngelo for his role in the Empire drug ring.

Attorney Robert Powell – references in criminal complaint against judges Ciavarella and Conahan point to the attorney as “Participant 1” in the kickback scheme.

However, attorneys for Powell portray him as a victim of the demands for payment by the judges.

Powell had been co-owner of the juvenile detention facilities operated by PA Child Care LLC. But his connections to the judges run deeper. He visited the condo managed by the judges’ wives in Florida and docked his boat in the marina there as well.

He also had a hand in W-Cat Inc., the company behind the development of The Sanctuary townhouse project in Wright Township. He later transferred his interest to his law partner and Luzerne County Prothonotary Jill Moran. The judges and their wives guaranteed $4.5 million in financing for the development, but First National Community Bank of Dunmore obtained a judgment against them on Wednesday for W-Cat’s default on the loans.

Conahan had been a director at the bank along with Louis A. DeNaples. But DeNaples, owner of the Mount Airy Casino Resort in the Poconos, stepped down as a bank chairman after a grand jury indicted him on charges he allegedly lied to state gambling officials about his ties to organized crime members. Conahan resigned as director after federal authorities announced charges against him last month.

Attorney Richard Sprague – counsel for attorney Robert Powell and Louis A. DeNaples.

Sprague, of Philadelphia, said Powell “made a mistake in giving in to the judges’ demands and for not immediately reporting them to authorities.” Powell eventually did notify authorities and cooperated with them to provide “integral” assistance to the prosecution of the judges, Sprague said.

In addition to representing DeNaples in his pending perjury case, Sprague defended The Times Leader in 1991 on charges it published contents of an illegally tape recorded telephone conversation. The charges were later dismissed.

A few years earlier, Sprague was co-counsel in the team that represented former Luzerne County Judge Arthur Dalessandro. Midway through his 1989 trial, Dalessandro pleaded guilty to attempted tax evasion and was later sentenced to one year in federal prison.

More recently, in December, Sprague sat on the Court of Judicial Discipline that heard testimony in the misconduct complaint filed against Luzerne County Judge Ann Lokuta and ordered her removed from the bench.

Lokuta was in the courtroom Thursday when Ciavarella and Conahan entered their guilty pleas. Ciavarella embraced her at the end of the proceeding.

Anatomy of Corruption

The two articles below give some much needed analysis and a timeline of political corruption and malfeasance all centered on a private for profit Juvenile Detention Center in Eastern Pennsylvania. Interesting to note that some people smelled a rat very early, almost from the begining. The arrogance of Judges Conahan and Ciavarella was ultimately their undoing,and their greed. They did very little to cover the tracks of fraud and payments made to the bank accounts.

DeWayne H

JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER TIMELINE

JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER TIMELINE

The following timeline was compiled through records, interviews and court documents:

July 2001: A group of private developers called “Pennsylvania Child Care” sends Luzerne County an unsolicited proposal to build a 48-bed juvenile detention facility in Pittston Township and lease it to the county for $37 million over 30 years. Commissioner Stephen A. Urban calls it a “sweetheart deal.” The principal investors were identified as Greg Zappala and attorney Robert Powell. Court documents filed Monday allege that Judge Mark Ciavarella met with a Luzerne County attorney in June 2002 about building the center.

September 2001: PA Child Care proceeds with development plans, though county commissioners say they will continue using the existing county-owned juvenile detention center on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.

January 2002: County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Michael Conahan allegedly signs a secret “placement guarantee agreement” between the court and PA Child Care to house juvenile offenders at the Pittston Township facility. This agreement says the court would pay PA Child Care $1.3 million in annual rent and says the court’s obligation to make these payments is “absolute and unconditional.”

October 2002: Conahan publicly announces that judges will stop sending youth to the River Street center at the end of the year because the building is too rundown.

November 2002: State Department of Public Welfare representatives say the county’s River Street center is “safe and satisfactory to house juveniles,” which raised questions about the court’s refusal to send youth there. Ciavarella criticizes the state’s plan to renew the facility’s license, saying the center has a multitude of problems.

December 2002: Conahan takes official action to remove funding from the county budget for the county’s River Street center. County majority commissioners approve the court’s budget request. The court returns the River Street center license to the state, essentially closing the place.

In or before January 2003: Conahan and Ciavarella allegedly arrange to receive a $997,600 payment in connection with the roles they played as judges in accomplishing construction of the PA Child Care facility. Investigators say the payment was made through a series of financial transactions that were designed to be concealed.

February 2003: The PA Child Care facility opens. Commissioners agree to allow county juvenile offenders to be lodged there, but only for up to two years while the county builds its own new detention center. Commissioners agree to seek zoning approval to build a new detention center on county-owned land near Valley Crest Nursing Home in Plains Township.

March 2003: Urban and then-Commissioner Tom Makowski vote to design a new detention center using roughly $9 million borrowed for that purpose. They say building is the most prudent option because PA Child Care investors want to charge too much, and there are no guarantees that state and federal subsidies will continue.

PA Child Care is willing to sell its center to the county without furnishings for $12 million to $14 million, but county studies peg the value of the unfurnished structure at $7.39 million.

February 2004: County court denies the county’s request for a zoning variance to build a detention center on land near Valley Crest. Newly elected majority commissioners Greg Skrepenak and Todd Vonderheid put construction plans on hold. Urban unsuccessfully urges majority commissioners to look for another detention center building site.

September 2004: L. Robert Kimball & Associates, the county consultant, estimates the PA Child Care facility cost about $8 million to build and would be worth about $8 million or $9 million if the county wanted to buy it.

October 18, 2004: Skrepenak and Vonderheid announce at a work session that they plan to vote on a lease of the PA Child Care facility.

Oct. 19, 2004: After seeing the lease plan in media reports, a DPW auditor contacts the county to warn that the state is auditing the PA Child Care facility.

Oct. 20, 2004: Skrepenak and Vonderheid vote to lease the Pittston Township detention center for 20 years at a cost of $58 million, pending a review by the county solicitor. Several taxpayers attend a meeting urging commissioners to hold off and do more research and analysis on the lease.

Oct. 21, 2004: The DPW auditor sends a letter to commissioners informing them of plans to speed up the state audit in light of the county’s plan to lease the facility.

Nov. 16, 2004: The state auditor faxes a more urgent letter about the audit to commissioners, but majority commissioners say they didn’t receive it.

Nov. 17, 2004: Vonderheid and Skrepenak give final approval to the lease. Urban urges them to table a vote, citing the pending state audit. Vonderheid and Skrepenak said they think the state audit is routine.

December 2004: PA Child Care files a “sealed” court action against then-county Controller Steve Flood and two DPW officials over center audit records that had been released to Flood.

PA Child Care alleges that the documents contained “trade secrets.” The Times Leader had obtained the documents from Flood. The documents say the county should have backed away from the lease agreement and that it was a “bad deal.” The auditors say the county’s projections wrongly assume the state will reimburse a county-operated facility more money than it costs to operate.

January 2005: DPW says release of its audit has been stalled indefinitely due to the trade secrets suit.

July 2005: Due to the success of the county detention center, a Western PA Child Care facility is built, and Conahan and Ciavarella allegedly receive a $1 million payment from the owner, concealed through various transactions.

November 2005: The state Superior Court overturns Conahan’s sealing of the trade secrets suit, saying the sealing appears to be “nothing more than a ruse to prevent public exposure.”

February 2006: The Pittston Township detention center is expanded, and a $150,000 payment is allegedly made to Ciavarella and Conahan. This payment is also concealed.

October 2007: The public learns that DPW has issued a draft audit recommending the state withhold $2 million in annual funding from the county because the agency believes the lease provides an excessive profit.

December 2007: County commissioners vote to terminate the lease.

January 2008: Commissioners begin negotiating with PA Child Care over the terms of getting out of the lease.

A final state audit of PA Child is publicly released. It reveals the county could have built three juvenile detention centers for the cost of what it paid to lease the PA Child Care facility. The report again paints officials as inept negotiators who blindly entered into the agreement that allowed PA Child Care to reap unreasonable profits.

April 29, 2008: The Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, a juvenile rights group, files a petition with the state Supreme Court seeking to overturn rulings made by Ciavarella in hundreds of juvenile cases.

The petition alleges that 50 percent of youths who appeared before the judge were not represented by an attorney – 10 times the state average.

May 6, 2008: DPW advises county officials it will not pay the full amount being sought by PA Child Care to detain and treat delinquent youth because the rates being charged by PA Child Care are too high.

May 8, 2008: DPW announces it plans to file a brief in support of the Juvenile Law Center’s petition, citing what is says is an unusually high placement rate in Luzerne County. Statistics show the county’s placement rate from 2004 to 2006 was 2 � times the state average for all counties.

May 9, 2008: Ciavarella says DPW actions are based on a desire to save money rather than ensure kids get care they need. “I have never placed a kid for an improper reason,” Ciavarella said.

May 16, 2008: State Attorney General Tom Corbett files legal brief in support of JLC petition. The petition raises questions regarding whether juvenile proceedings were fair and resulted in “trustworthy determination of guilt and innocence.”

May 23, 2008: Ciavarella steps down from Juvenile Court and appoints Judge David Lupas to preside.

May 29, 2008: Financial ties between Conahan, Ciavarella, Powell and Jill Moran are made public through the revelation of statements of financial interests the judges and Moran filed for 2007.

The documents show the judges and Moran are part owners of W-Cat, a real estate development firm building a townhouse project in Wright Township. Powell was also once a part-owner in the firm, but later sold his interest to Moran, a spokesman for Powell says.

June 10, 2008: Powell announces he has sold his interest in PA Child Care to his partner, Gregory Zappala.

June 19, 2008: The FBI serves a search warrant on the county’s juvenile probation department, seizing records related to the placement of juveniles at PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care centers.

June 25, 2008: After months of negotiations, county commissioners announce they have reached an agreement with PA Child Care to terminate the lease. They continue to negotiate with the center regarding the temporary placement of youths there until a permanent alternative is in place.

July 2, 2008: Commissioners reach an agreement to utilize the center as a detention facility that will house youths pending their transfer to an outside treatment facility. The county agrees to pay $48.42 per day more than the state will reimburse, but says that is cheaper than transporting youths to out-of-county facilities.

Center critic praises probers

Public advocate who railed against juvie center reflects on the controversy.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter

Luzerne County taxpayer and public advocate Tom Dombroski said he always suspected a county judge was somehow profiting from the Pittston Township juvenile detention center, and that is why he tried so hard to convince county officials not to lease the facility.

He told commissioners in an October 2004 meeting the county should reject a proposal to lease the building for $58 million, saying the public is in the dark about who is profiting.

“It doesn’t pass the smell test,” Dombroski told commissioners at the time.

After nearly four hours of debate and public complaints, the majority commissioners at the time – Todd Vonderheid and Greg Skrepenak – voted to lease the Pittston Township facility from Pennsylvania Child Care.

Dombroski praised U.S. Attorney Martin C. Carlson and other investigators on Monday for uncovering a scheme showing county Court of Common Pleas Judges Mike Conahan and Mark Ciavarella received $2.6 million in payments in connection with the Pittston Township center and a Western Pennsylvania center also owned by PA Child Care.

According to Dombroski, the public should also credit former county Controller Steve Flood, who pushed for answers about the detention center ownership and cost to taxpayers. Flood’s efforts to get a controversial state audit about the center into the hands of the media prompted PA Child Care to file a “trade secrets” lawsuit against him. Conahan sealed the suit, but the state Superior Court overturned Conahan’s decision.

“He saw the corruption right at the beginning,” Dombroski said of Flood. “He was really the first person that brought it out. I think he should be the one congratulated.”

Flood has been incapacitated and unable to communicate since he suffered a stroke on March 14. He was at a commissioners’ meeting complaining about the detention center lease hours before his stroke.

Flood’s close friend and guardian, Heather Paulhamus, declined to comment on the federal charges against Conahan and Ciavarella.

Pittston Township Supervisor Tony Attardo, another detention center critic, recently died.

Township residents were upset that the facility got zoning approval without any input or advance notice to the public. Jeff Pisanchyn, the part-time township zoning officer at the time, has said he approved the permit thinking it was a publicly owned youth recreation facility.

Attardo had said supervisors rezoned the detention center site from conservation to industrial to attract new business, and nobody presented juvenile detention center plans to the supervisors.

“We certainly never rezoned the property to allow a detention center there,” Attardo said in 2003.

Republican minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban has been railing against the detention center lease since the original proposal landed on his desk in 2001, saying the county should build its own center. Urban said he still has questions about the $58 million lease.

“I wonder if investigators are looking at the commissioners’ office because that lease was brought to the commissioners’ office by (then chief clerk/manager) Sam Guesto, Greg Skrepenak and Todd Vonderheid without any public advertisement or disclosure or due diligence,” Urban said.

Skrepenak said Monday that he never would have voted for the lease if he had known judges were profiting from the center. He said commissioners were looking for a way to reduce juvenile placement costs, and that he and Vonderheid believed the county could rent out unused beds to generate revenue.

“I had no knowledge of any involvement by judges. I felt at the time that the county could make money,” Skrepenak said.

Skrepenak noted that juvenile placement expenses have gone from $15 million in 2004 to $6.5 million this year.

Urban said costs are down because the court is sending fewer youth to placement and sending more juveniles to facilities that cost less than the Pittston Township one.

Skrepenak said he’s “disheartened by the whole turn of events.”

“I think I’m still in shock,” he said. “This is going to make national news. It’s a black eye on Luzerne County.”

Vonderheid, who resigned as commissioner in 2007, said Monday that he is still reviewing details of the federal charges.

“I’m saddened for the people and the families of everybody involved and for the negative cloud that is going to sit over our community for some time. I can’t give any other comment until I learn more.”

Michael T. Conahan

original story
BY MICHAEL R. SISAK
STAFF WRITER Times Leader
Published: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:07 AM EST
Speculation swirled the first time former Luzerne County President Judge Michael T. Conahan resigned from the bench.

Conahan relinquished his position on the Court of Common Pleas in January 2008, four years into his second 10-year-term.

He disclosed the decision seven months earlier, saying he had made a personal choice to move on after 30 years of combined service, first as a district magisterial judge and, since 1994, as a member of the Court of Common Pleas.

Conahan officially retired on Jan. 14, 2008.

He returned the next day as a senior judge, appointed by the state to handle cases in Luzerne County on a part-time basis — no more than 13 days per month.

Courthouse observers questioned Conahan’s sudden surrender and reappearance and centered on a potential motive for the move. One theory suggested he had been attempting to preserve his pension, exiting one job and entering the other to circumvent the potential judicial and legal ramifications of a federal investigation into court operations.

The fallout from the investigation hit Monday.

Federal prosecutors filed a 22-page complaint against Conahan and President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr., charging them with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit tax fraud.

Federal prosecutors accused Ciavarella and Conahan of collecting $2.6 million in payoffs to facilitate the development and operation of the Pennsylvania Child Care juvenile detention center in Pittston Township and a similar facility in Butler County.

“They sold their oaths of office to the highest bidders,” Deron Roberts, an agent in the FBI office in Scranton, said.

Ciavarella and Conahan reached written plea agreements with prosecutors. Under the terms of the deal, they will plead guilty and serve 87 months in federal prison. They will resign their positions as judges within 10 days of their plea and will consent to automatic disbarment.

Conahan’s judicial career began in 1977, the same year he received his law degree from the Temple University School of Law in Philadelphia.

Gov. Milton Shapp appointed Conahan to fill a vacant magisterial district judge position in Hazleton, where he had been born and reared and where his father, Joseph B. Conahan Sr., had been mayor.

Hundreds of Hazleton residents — Hazletonians, as Conahan affectionately called them — had placed telephone calls or written letters to Shapp, urging him to pick their native son for the open seat.

Conahan received similar widespread support when he ran for election to a full term in 1979 and again when he ran for re-election in 1985 and 1991.

Conahan was born in Hazleton on April 21, 1952, and remained in the city until his graduation from Hazleton High School in 1970. Four years later, he received his bachelor’s degree from Villanova University in Radnor Township, Delaware County.

Back in Hazleton after law school, Conahan balanced magisterial duties and a fledgling career in private practice.

In 1979, he became a partner in the Hazleton firm of Kennedy, Carlyon and Conahan. In 1988, he joined the firm of Bigelow, Carlyon, Lucadamo, Siadri and McNeilis. In 1992, he established his own practice.

By the end of the year, Conahan was considering a run at the Court of Common Pleas — first as a candidate for the gubernatorial appointment to replace retiring Judge Bernard C. Brominski, then as a challenger in the 1993 election.

He hired political consultant Ed Mitchell to “test the waters” in the northern part of Luzerne County and portrayed himself as crime fighter and the first line of judicial defense between a criminal complaint and a verdict.

“The new judge should be selected on the basis of crime-fighting experience,” Conahan told The Citizens’ Voice in November 1992, before the vacancy was filled. “We need someone who has been on the frontline, cleaning up the streets of criminals and those who prey on our young and our old. If that’s the standard used — if they’re looking for a tough professional on the court — I expect to be appointed.”

Conahan’s expectation went unfulfilled.

The governor at the time, Robert P. Casey, named Pittston attorney Joseph Musto, the brother of state Sen. Raphael Musto, D-Pittston Township.

The appointment sparked a heated rivalry between Musto and Conahan and led to a brutal primary campaign, which included mutual charges of nepotism and campaign finance violations.

Conahan accused Democratic Party leaders of attempting to “strong arm” him out of the race, suggested he acquiesce to Musto and wait until 1995 to run for the seat that was being vacated by the retiring Judge Gifford S. Cappellini — a position that eventually went to Ciavarella.

Conahan charged “back-room politics” and “collusion” led to Casey’s appointment of Musto and requested attorney Joseph A. Quinn resign from the Trial Court Nominating Commission, the panel that had recommended candidates for the Luzerne County vacancy. Quinn could not be impartial, Conahan said, because he hosted a party for Musto and solicited campaign contributions on his behalf.

Conahan announced his candidacy at the Ramada Hotel in Wilkes-Barre on Feb. 27, 1993, pledging to refuse contributions from attorneys or their spouses, so he could be a judge “with no strings attached.”

“This will guarantee that there will not even be the remote possibility that when I am hearing a case my mind could in any way be clouded between the arguments of a lawyer who contributed to my campaign and perhaps one who didn’t,” Conahan said, underscoring the message of “integrity” and “independence” he and Mitchell reinforced in a blitz of television and radio advertisements.

Conahan outspent Musto on primary advertising $172,167 to $113,534.

Conahan’s campaign ran television commercials portraying the magisterial district judge as a crimefighter, juxtaposed against the image of a prison door shown slamming shut. Another painted Musto as the beneficiary of his brother’s political connections.

The ads violated state law, Musto claimed.

“For Mike Conahan, there are no rules in a judicial campaign,” Musto said, days before the primary. “Mike Conahan has never, ever appeared in court and tried a case.”

Conahan had the final word.

“Following what many political observers described as one of the most bitter and hard fought campaigns in Luzerne County history,” as The Citizens’ Voice described the race, Conahan won the Democratic and Republican nominations.

Conahan received 52,334 votes in a landslide general election victory and was sworn in as a Common Pleas judge in January 1994.

In 2002, he became the first Hazleton resident elected president judge, a position he held until Ciavarella’s ascent in 2007.

As president judge, Conahan established Central Court in Wilkes-Barre as a unified venue for preliminary hearings and began the practice of using video conferencing for criminal cases to save transportation costs.

As a senior judge, Conahan oversaw the Luzerne County treatment court, a special program for residents charged with non-violent criminal offenses related to or motivated by their addiction to drugs or alcohol.

In both roles, he continued to hear cases ranging from the opening of Gentlemen’s Club 10 in Wilkes-Barre Township in 2005, to the beating death of a man in Hazleton and the life-and-death struggle of convicted mass murder George Banks.

In a June 2001 bench trial, Conahan convicted Wilson Hernandez Jr., 24, of robbery, criminal conspiracy and second-degree murder in the 1994 beating death of Andrew Danko in Hazleton, and sentenced him to a state-mandated term of life in prison.

Last September, after three days of hearings at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford, Conahan ruled Banks incompetent to be executed — the same decision he rendered in February 2006.

Banks went on a shooting rampage in September 1982 that left 13 people dead, including four girlfriends, who ranged in age from 23 to 29, five of his seven children, ages 1 to 5, and four others.

“Banks is out of touch with reality,” Conahan said. “He views his circumstances and the events around him through the prism of his delusions. His delusional beliefs are at the core of his understanding of his current legal situation, including the reasons for his continued incarceration and his possible execution.”

Justice to Be served in Luzerne County PA?

The Times Leader is reporting the "imminent arrest" and charges against two Luzerne County judges who have been under investigation for political corruption for nearly 3 years by U.S. Attorney Martin Carlson.

President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella and former President Judge Michael T. Conahan are rumored by court watchers to be the two judges facing arrest. An unnamed Court Official possibly the Court Executive officer is to be charged as well.

The investigations into the county have been public knowledge for several months as federal agents have served search warrants and subpoenas on several court offices.

Federal agents in June served a search warrant on the county’s Juvenile Probation Department seeking financial records related to the placement of juveniles at the PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care centers. Those centers were formerly owned by attorney Robert Powell of Butler Township.

Paul McGarry, administrative director for the court system, said previously that the FBI sought administrative records, including billing statements and records for the number of children who were placed at the centers.

In August, FBI agents served subpoenas on the county treasurer’s office seeking records related to the court system. Sources previously said that investigation focused on whether money confiscated from gambling raids was turned over to the treasurer’s office.

The Times leader articles are here.

Judges to Be Charged

Ciavarella and Conahan are not alone.

Elmysterio


Commentary by DeWayne

Unfortunately the federal charges against Conahan and Ciavarella are unlikely to have anything to do with the late Bryan Kocis(left) a pedophile who was allowed to plead guilty to the lowest possible charge "Corruption of a minor" in 2002 although he faced trial for rape and child molestation and filming child pornography.

Judge Conahan also reviewed hundreds of hours of video featuring underage teen boys and then famously declared none of the boys looked underage to him.

There has been rampant speculation in the 6 years since Bryan Kocis was allowed to plead guilty to a single charge and avoid prison that a "special deal" was arranged with a suspected corrupt judge.

Bryan Kocis certainly alluded to and threatened an 18 yo Sean Lockhart with arrest,incarceration and death or physical assault at the hands of the corrupt Luzerne County Judiciary and Jail System in 2005.

One of the central charges in this case will involve a private Juvenile detention center run by a friend of the two judges.

Next week if Judge Michael T Conahan is charged under Federal Corruption statutes
he will no longer be a "Suspected dirty judge"

But just another in a long line of Corrupt power hungry judges whoses past has finaly caught up with them.

About time.

Don't let the cell door hit you in the ass Conahan and remember
Never Drop the Soap!

UPDATE; July Corruption Story's The Judge and the Drug Dealer

Just call me Judge Dirty!

FBI Investigation of Pennsylvania Child Care Corporation

Original Story Times Leader with comments



Sources: Judges to be charged
County court system has been under investigation

By Terrie Morgan-Besecker tmorgan@timesleader.com
Law & Order Reporter

Posted: January 22
Updated: Today at 6:26 AM
WILKES-BARRE – Two sources familiar with federal investigations involving the Luzerne County judiciary said authorities have concluded their probes and are expected to file charges soon, possibly as early as next week.
Read more Luzerne County Judges articles

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said two county judges and a county court official are expected to face charges. The sources could not say what those charges will be. They also declined to publicly identify the suspects because the charges have not been filed.

Speculation that the filing of charges was imminent has run rampant throughout the county courthouse during the past few weeks.

U.S. Attorney Martin Carlson declined to comment when reached late Wednesday afternoon. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has a standard policy of not confirming or denying the existence of an investigation.

The investigations into the county have been public knowledge for several months as federal agents have served search warrants and subpoenas on several court offices.

Federal agents in June served a search warrant on the county’s Juvenile Probation Department seeking financial records related to the placement of juveniles at the PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care centers. Those centers were formerly owned by attorney Robert Powell of Butler Township.

Paul McGarry, administrative director for the court system, said previously that the FBI sought administrative records, including billing statements and records for the number of children who were placed at the centers.

In August, FBI agents served subpoenas on the county treasurer’s office seeking records related to the court system. Sources previously said that investigation focused on whether money confiscated from gambling raids was turned over to the treasurer’s office.

The sources said the investigation began after it was learned that some court orders directing the forfeiture of gambling proceeds did not go through the District Attorney’s office, but instead were presented directly to the court administrator’s office – a departure from standard procedure.

It could not be determined Wednesday whether the pending charges are related to those investigations, or whether other persons may also face charges.
26 Reader Comments
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ed said...

when your done there maybe you can find time to come to the WVSA and see the nut DeSanto and take him away. I can't beleve that no one has cought up with this nut

January 22, 2009 at 5:48 AM

Yvonne said...

About time. The charges will be pay to play under the unfair honest public offical act/statute, I bet. Bye Bye Birdy and the tax payers will not have to pay these corrupt Judges Pensions and Retirements. Keep looking you will find more, plus this Judges will sing and sing. Honorable Men always tell the truth once they are caught.

January 22, 2009 at 5:54 AM

J.Wallace said...

3 Down and dozens to go ...... VOTE DEMOCRAT

January 22, 2009 at 6:06 AM

taxpayer tooo !! said...

Its about TIME. I Hope they HANG THEM ALL. I also hope each 1 of them sit their A---- IN JAIL. NOT JUST A SLAP ON THE WRIST. WE NEED TO EXTERMINATE THAT CASTLE SOON. NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF TERMITES. GO GET THEM & HANG THEM.. BRING BACK HONEST JUDGE LAKUTA. SHE MAY HAVE HAD A COUPLE FAULTS, BUT NOT LIKE THESE OTHER LIAR'S & THEIF'S. KARMA..

January 22, 2009 at 6:37 AM

Jeff said...

Just knowing that at least three of the corrupted jerks at the dome will finally face their crimes, will be like a breath of fresh air to most. It's a start in the right direction. I'm sure once these three are exposed, they'll sing like rats and their fellow cronies too will fall. Nothing is going to change in Luzerne County until the last of the garbage is removed. "the investigation began after it was learned that some court orders directing the forfeiture of gambling proceeds did not go through the District Attorney’s office, but instead were presented directly to the court administrator’s office." Wonder how long that was going on, and just HOW much money is involved.

January 22, 2009 at 6:50 AM

Cityrefugee said...

Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it.

January 22, 2009 at 7:09 AM

Skeptical said...

I'm trying to put it in perspective, there are accused murderers that go through this entire process and sentenced faster than this investigation. Don't get me wrong, for the sake of expediency I do not want the investigation to be incomplete, but let the hammer drop already. I want to see this investigation produced and aired on A&E's FBI Files or as a Law & Order Episode!! Talk about good TV ratings.

January 22, 2009 at 7:46 AM

RWilliams said...

Robert Powell, isn't he Skreps friend?

January 22, 2009 at 7:52 AM

Carlton said...

Voting DemocRAT is what got us into this mess!

January 22, 2009 at 8:36 AM

HEY! said...

Well it's about time. The entire county needs a good cleaning out!

January 22, 2009 at 8:42 AM

scott said...

Bye, bye chitarella and conehan. You're as wrong as my spelling of your names! I just hope they put you both in with Bubba! Who's next? Gusty, Hydie, Skreppy, Fishy. Should charges not be brought against Hun, Rodant, and Harnishfinger also?

January 22, 2009 at 9:04 AM

jan said...

Long, long overdue.

January 22, 2009 at 9:14 AM

Clown Oliphip said...

Clean the courthouse out and start anew

January 22, 2009 at 9:18 AM

Only three? said...

We waiting all this time and only three get charged?!?! You got to be kidding me?

January 22, 2009 at 9:32 AM

B said...

J. Wallace, while I don't disagree there may be dozens to go in order to clean up the courthouse, the second half of your comment is laughable! If you look at present times and as far back as 15 to 20 years Democrats have been at the helm. Presently, the majority of the row offices are held by democrats. Democrats have also controlled 2 of the 3 Commissioners’ seats for years. I believe it hasn’t been since the middle to late eighties that the commissioner’s office was controlled by republicans (Trinisewski / Phillips). That being said, everyone’s disgust and disdain for the way the county has been run has been on the democrats watch!! Make no mistake; this is not my plug for the Republican Party or their rule. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what or who the answer is! Maybe its time to revisit the idea of home rule for the county in order to take power out of the hands of the few and place it in the hands of many. It seems that may create a better system of checks and balance.

January 22, 2009 at 9:33 AM

fed said...

About time. Next should be the debit card crew. Let's get rid of all the bums.

January 22, 2009 at 9:36 AM

lee said...

Here is an expression we may not have to use much longer.....President Judge Mark Ciavarella.

January 22, 2009 at 9:45 AM

abc said...

The FBI needs to start investigating the Family court system and Children and youth next. Lets clean up all the corruption.

January 22, 2009 at 9:46 AM

mark said...

please, please! let it be so!

January 22, 2009 at 9:59 AM

DS said...

Purge, baby, PURGE!!

January 22, 2009 at 10:38 AM

Mr Fsalt said...

Could it be? A judge acting like this? Well Marky mark can you slip out of this one? I hope not!

January 22, 2009 at 11:01 AM

Bob said...

I hope city hall is next

January 22, 2009 at 11:33 AM

I'm John Senchak, and I approve of this message/john@antihotmail.com said...

I would do anything to see President Judge Mark Ciavarella in handcuffs.

January 22, 2009 at 11:40 AM

Charmaine H. Maynard said...

You have no idea how hard it was to get the proper authorities to listen and take action. And......you have no idea how long it takes for a proper investigation to transpire. Please try to have faith in the system for just a little while longer.

January 22, 2009 at 11:55 AM

Now it's OUR turn said...

The feds can set up branch offices in several locations in NEPA keep busy for years. Thank God this is coming to pass.

January 22, 2009 at 11:58 AM

Martha Hyde said...

Interesting that this involves the juvenile justice. Next stop--FAMILY COURT--the most distructive and corrupted system of government. It is time for the people to take back government. "OF THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE."

January 22, 2009 at 3:04 PM

Next Story on the ongoing investigation.



Ciavarella, Conahan not alone
They’re the only 2 of the 11 Luzerne jurists with for-profit ties, but practice not uncommon, expert says.
November 5, 2008
ANDREW M. SEDER aseder@timesleader.com

A review of financial interest statements filed by all 11 Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas judges shows that two – Mark A. Ciavarella and Michael T. Conahan – listed financial interests in for-profit businesses.

Read more Luzerne County Judges articles

Conahan


The practice is not uncommon, according to one expert on state courts.

All judicial officers have been required to file the annual statements since a 1984 state Supreme Court order. Judges at all levels operating in state courts are mandated to follow the order.

The statements must be filed by May 1 each year and list financial information for the prior year including real estate interests, creditors, gifts, direct and indirect sources of income and office, directorship or employment in any other business. Judges are required to list financial interests in any for-profit business in which they have at least a 5 percent stake.

Ciavarella, 58, and Conahan, 56, have come under fire for listing an interest in W-Cat Inc. in their 2007 filings, their latest statements. That company, owned by county Prothonotary Jill Moran, was previously co-owned by attorney Robert J. Powell. Powell and Moran are partners in the Powell Law Firm. Powell, until last week, was also a partner in PA Child Care, the company operating the juvenile detention center in Pittston Township.

That facility, which has a long-term contract with Luzerne County, houses many youth sentenced by Ciavarella. The county started sending youth to the center in 2003 after Conahan shut down the county-run juvenile detention center on North River Street in 2002, saying it was unsafe for habitation. The state Department of Public Welfare had reissued a license to the facility.

A year later, former Commissioner Todd Vonderheid joined Commissioner Greg Skrepenak in approving the 20-year-, $58 million-lease of the facility.

Conahan and Ciavarella have repeatedly failed to return calls seeking comment on the matter.

William “Skip” Arbuckle, a lawyer who previously served as counsel for the state Judicial Conduct Board, said it’s not uncommon for judges across the state, especially those who entered the bench with a business background, to have business interests.

A review of the financial statements of Lackawanna County’s nine judges shows one-third of them have reported financial interests in for-profit businesses.

Conahan, who retired last year and became a senior judge in Luzerne County, is president of a soft-drink manufacturing company in Sheppton. Speaking in generalities, not specifically about Luzerne County, Arbuckle said the fact a judge has financial stakes in for-profit businesses doesn’t raise a red flag for him. If that judge presided over a case with a clear conflict of interest related to one of his holdings, he said, that would.

Though not against judicial canon, financial interest in businesses could prove tricky if judges have ties to attorneys, parties or issues that come before them. The judicial canons listed on the state Judicial Board of Conduct Web site do not specifically prohibit those kinds of relationships. Canon 5 makes it clear it’s OK to have financial interests in businesses, but Canon 2 warns judges to avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all their activities.

Most Luzerne County’s judges checked “none” on the portion of the statement that asks about financial interests in for-profit businesses.

That’s the case on statements filed by Luzerne County judges Joseph Augello, Thomas Burke Jr., Ann Lokuta, David Lupas, Hugh Mundy, Chester Muroski, Peter Paul Olszewski Jr., Michael T. Toole, and Patrick J. Toole Jr.

The same goes for Lackawanna County judges Carlon O’Malley, Terrence Nealon, Robert Mazzoni, Chester Harhut, Vito Geroulo and Patricia Corbett.

In Lackawanna County, Judge Michael J. Barrasse lists an interest in Interstate Gas Marketing, a natural-gas drilling company in western Pennsylvania; Judge Thomas Munley lists himself as a director in Software Engineering Associates, a computer programming business in Archbald; and Judge Carmen Minora listed an interest in Brymin Partnership in Scranton. Information on that company could not be found, though its address is the same as the Minora Law Firm.

A review of financial interest statements of judges from nearby counties shows that those in Carbon, Wayne, Wyoming and Sullivan counties do not list any financial interests in for-profit businesses.

Andrew M. Seder, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 570-829-7269.
11 Reader Comments
COMMENT HERE
junglejim said...

Do they know how to hide their interests? Do they do favors for relatives, businessmen, lawyers, etc.? Are they totally honest even in sealing cases? I,ve got to wonder how long before the house of cards they have comes down. I guess we have no corruption from top to bottom.

June 18, 2008 at 5:00 AM

SB said...

Will Luzerne county residents ever learn or will they continue electing the same corrupt officials. Conahan, Civarella and Moran clearly have a conflict of interest regarding the juvenile detention center. Maybe this is why many of the juveniles were not represented in court; much easier to send business to the juvenile center. Civarella and Moran should do the honorable thing and RESIGN! Then the FBI should investigate to determine if prosecution is warranted.

June 18, 2008 at 6:25 AM

Pringle Hill said...

So what have Conahan and Ciavarella done wrong? So what if the county threw away over 58 million dollars for a lease that these two benefitted from. What is the TL trying to say?

June 18, 2008 at 6:28 AM

Scott said...

They are not alone! Not one other judge closed a juvenile facility and had a financial stake in the facility recently opened to house them, now did they. That folks, is a direct appearance of impropriety and a clear conflict of interest. They both should be removed from office and thrown in the can.

June 18, 2008 at 8:04 AM

jason said...

The TL is ignoring another part of the equation-judges that do not have independent sources of income have to increasingly reply on contributions to finance their campaigns-primarily from attorneys that will subsequently be appearing in front of the judges in court. An interesting investigative study would be on whether this practice results in favoritism. For instance, I am curious how many of the attorneys who brought complaints against Judge Lokuta actually contributed to her campaign. Not many, I suspect. I further suspect the judge was kinder to those that did contribute.

June 18, 2008 at 8:29 AM

Shalamar said...

With regard to Canon 2 one can imagine Judge Smails in the movie Caddie Shack... "How about a Fresca Danny?"

June 18, 2008 at 10:17 AM

mark said...

These guys will be forever remembered as "no good judges". I'll admit, they will be rich but that's all they will be. They won't leave a good legacy at all. I prefer to be respected because of my good actions.

June 18, 2008 at 11:39 AM

Alex said...

The Times Leader has really missed the boat as far as this scandal is concerned. Bravo to the Citizens Voice for having the guts to publish the misdeeds of these crooked judges and politicians.

June 18, 2008 at 12:04 PM

watcher said...

TL....where's my post?

June 18, 2008 at 2:14 PM

tom sedeski said...

Watcher, they pick and choose what to post. I thought the media is supposed to be impartial? I’ve had 6 not posted and 2 of those I have resubmitted 3 times. I don’t believe they were comments not worthy or out of line so I am baffled. What’s even more confusing is that this comment (if your reading it) is the 3rd from me they HAVE posted that points out the TL censoring comments. What’s with that TL? Feel free to explain if you ever have the editors return my emails.

June 18, 2008 at 8:07 PM

Sleepless in Scranton said...

Hmmm...didn't Ciavarella run the most expensive campaign in Luzerne County history at $250,000.00? What contributed? Also noticed that, back in his early days, nearly every case involving The Arena (which had been voted "Arena NO" by the people) came before him. He seemed to rule in favor of the Arena in most instances.

January 22, 2009 at 2:03 AM

FBI, IRS investigating Luzerne County judges, attorney

Originally posted to the Times Tribune Scranton PA

BY DAVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER
Published: Friday, June 06, 2008
Updated: Friday, June 6, 2008 1:00 AM EDT
WILKES-BARRE — The FBI and IRS are investigating possible financial ties between two Luzerne County judges and a local attorney whose firm has made millions leasing a juvenile detention center to the county, according to two courthouse sources who say they’ve been interviewed by the federal agents.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation, said the agents asked about the relationship between President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr., Senior Judge Michael T. Conahan and Robert J. Powell, part-owner of the Luzerne County Juvenile Center in Pittston Township.

The two sources said they have been interviewed within the past several months.

Judge Conahan and Judge Ciavarella played key roles in closing a county-owned juvenile facility in 2002, arguing it was decrepit and unsafe. Neither judge returned phone messages Thursday. Mr. Powell did not respond to requests for comment made by e-mail, phone and through a spokesman.

Mr. Powell’s company, Pennsylvania Child Care LLC, has a 20-year, $58 million lease agreement with the county that has been criticized as too expensive by state officials. Faced with a threatened cut in state subsidies for juvenile detention that would cost $2 million per year, the county commissioners are trying to negotiate an end to the lease.

Last week, The Citizens’ Voice revealed financial ties between the two judges and W-Cat Inc., a townhouse development firm owned by Mr. Powell’s law partner, Jill A. Moran, who is the county prothonotary. The judges reported their interest on annual financial disclosure forms filed with the state Supreme Court.

Mr. Powell owned half of W-Cat in June 2004, according to documents filed with Wright Township and Luzerne County planning commissions. He transferred his interest in the firm to Ms. Moran for no compensation later that year, his spokesman said.

Ms. Moran did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

Judge Ciavarella said last week that he was guarantor for some of W-Cat’s $4.5 million debt and could benefit financially if the firm is successful in developing the Sanctuary, an 86-townhouse project in Wright Township. The firm has three mortgages from First National Community Bank, where Judge Conahan is a director.

Mr. Powell’s investment in Pennsylvania Child Care is through a company called Vision Holdings LLC. Mortgage documents filed in connection with the Pittston Township facility in 2002 identified Vision Holdings as a company registered in the Cayman Islands. It was later registered in Pennsylvania in 2003.

The other investor in Pennsylvania Child Care is Consulting Innovations and Services Inc., a corporation owned by Gregory Zappala, a western Pennsylvania investment banker and son of a former Pennsylvania chief justice. Mr. Powell and Mr. Zappala are also investors in Western PA Child Care, which owns a juvenile detention center in Butler County and Gladstone Partners LP, a company proposing a cargo airport to be built south of Hazleton.

Reached by phone Thursday, Mr. Zappala said he knew nothing of an investigation and said the judges have no interest in Pennsylvania Child Care. He declined further comment.

Contact the writer: djanoski@citizensvoice.com