Dec. 17—WILKES-BARRE — In one of her first actions in office, Rep. Brenda Pugh on Tuesday condemned President Joe Biden and his administration for granting clemency to “dishonorable” former Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan.
“Conahan’s conduct will forever blight Pennsylvania and is a slap in the face to the victims and their families who deserve justice for his heinous crimes,” said Pugh, R-Dallas Township. “His clemency places complicity and a stamp of approval on his behavior. Children are among the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians. This decision is nothing short of a travesty and his clemency is a miscarriage of justice.”
Pugh also called on Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and members of the Scranton City Council to remove the name from the “President Joe Biden Expressway.”
“This will forever be a scar that will remind everyone of what happened here in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” Pugh said. “My heart goes out to the victims and the families affected by this plan that has changed their lives forever.”
Pugh said Conahan and former Judge Mark Ciavarella, 76, were found guilty of conspiring to divert juveniles to for-profit detention centers in exchange for $2.8 million in kickbacks in 2010. Often referred to as “kids-for-cash,” said Pugh said the scheme affected thousands of minors – many of whom were first-time offenders convicted of minor infractions such as truancy or jaywalking.
Last week, Conahan’s sentence was commuted by President Biden. Conahan was on a list of 1,499 buyout transactions released by the White House last Thursday.
Conahan has been on home confinement at his Florida residence since June 2020, after nearly nine years behind bars, as part of a federal Bureau of Prisons initiative aimed at removing eligible, non-violent inmates with risk factors for the coronavirus from federal facilities.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the president can commute or reduce a sentence imposed by a federal court or the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, released a statement:
“For the many victims of the Kids for Cash scandal, for their families, for those involved in holding perpetrators accountable, for those of us still working toward a second round of reforms for the juvenile justice system , a lump sum. of Michael Conahan’s sentence is incomprehensible and indefensible.
“Where does ruining the lives of vulnerable children to enrich themselves justify a presidential buyout?
“It is truly disheartening to see a national leader on criminal justice issues for decades so willfully undermine the rule of equal justice in his final days.”
U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, said President Biden’s decision to commute Conahan’s sentence is “an injustice to the families and communities whose lives were forever changed by his actions.”
Meuser said, “This scandal marked a profound betrayal of public trust, exploiting children and causing lasting damage to northeastern Pennsylvania. Commuting Conahan’s sentence undermines the accountability that the victims and their families rightly deserve.
“The Biden-Harris administration continues to prove that it is out of touch with mainstream America, showing that they are more interested in pacifying political allies than doing the right thing.
President Biden bowed to political pressure from his party and emphasized the transactional nature within his ranks. The American people want fairness for all, but this buyout is the epitome of special treatment for those with connections.”
Earlier this week, Governor Josh Shapiro was in Scranton and was asked about Biden’s action.
Shapiro said governors and presidents have unique power to grant pardons and clemency and commute sentences.
“It is an absolute power, and it is a power that must be used incredibly carefully,” Shapiro said. “I study every single case that comes across my desk where there is a request for pardon, clemency or reduced sentence – and I take it very seriously. I weigh the merits of the case, I weigh what happened in court during the procedure I consider public safety and the victims, and all these issues play a role in my decision.”
Shapiro said he recognizes that those on the outside may question these decisions. He then presented his thoughts.
“As an outsider, I am not privy to all the information he looked at, but I strongly believe that President Biden was absolutely wrong and caused a lot of pain here in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said. “Not only was this a black eye for the community – the children because of the money scandal – but it also affected families in a very deep, profound and sad way. Some children have taken their own lives as a result.
“Families were torn apart. There were all kinds of mental health issues and fears that stemmed from the fact that these corrupt judges decided they wanted to make money off a child’s back.
‘To be honest, I thought the sentence the judge received was too light, and the fact that he was allowed to go out in recent years because of COVID, was put under house arrest and has now been pardoned, I think is absolutely wrong.
“He should have spent at least the 17 years in prison that he was sentenced to by a jury of his peers. He deserves to be behind bars and not walk as a free man.”
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
