Michael Conahan

Michael Conahan is a former judge from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania who committed the "Kids for cash" scandal in 2008^[1] with fellow judge Mark Ciavarella.

Conahan, as president judge, used his budgetary discretion to stop funding the county public youth detention facility^[2] and agreed to send teens instead to a new private facility. He is accused of agreeing to generate at least $1.3 million per year in costs that could be billed to taxpayers in exchange for kickbacks. He originally pleaded guilty to charges, but later withdrew his plea.^[3] Afterward, he was indicted along with Ciavarella on charges of money laundering, fraud and racketeering.^[4] He eventually plead guilty again, and on September 23, 2011, he was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison. ^[5]

Biography

Conahan was born April 21, 1952 in Hazleton. He attended Temple University, where he received his law degree. He served from 1994-2008 as Judge on the Court of Common Pleas and in January 2008 became president judge of Luzerne County.^[6]

References

1. ^ Frank, Thomas (April 1, 2009). "Thomas Frank Says 'Kids for Cash' Incentivizes the Prison Industry". Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123854010220075533.html. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
2. ^ "Judge Mark Ciavarella and Judge Michael Conahan". People You'll See in Hell. http://pysih.com/2009/02/24/judge-mark-ciavarella-and-judge-michael-conahan. Retrieved 2010-03-09. 
3. ^ Janoski, Dave (August 24, 2009). "Ciavarella, Conahan withdraw guilty pleas". citizensvoice.com. http://citizensvoice.com/news/ciavarella-conahan-withdraw-guilty-pleas-1.208291. Retrieved 2010-03-09. 
4. ^ "United States of America v Mark Ciavarella Jr and Michael Conahan". The United States Attorney's Office. http://www.justice.gov/usao/pam/Victim_Witness/Luzerne_County_Corruption/Ciavarella_Conahan/ciavarella_conahan_index.html. Retrieved 2010-03-09. 
5. ^ "Former Luzerne judge Conahan sentenced to 17.5 years". thetimes-tribume.com. September 23, 2011. http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/former-luzerne-judge-conahan-sentenced-to-17-5-years-1.1207994. Retrieved 2011-10-03. 
6. ^ "Michael Conahan". mahalo.com. http://www.mahalo.com/michael-conahan. Retrieved 2010-03-09. 

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Name	Ciavarella, Mark
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Date of birth	1952
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