Housing News- Sending Kids To Jail For Cash

---HOUSING NEWS---

February 13, 2009


CORRUPT JUDGES FOR HIRE...

Sending Kids To Jail For Cash...

By Lynda Carson

Corrupt Luzerne County Judges Of Pennsylvania Admit To Being Part Of Kickback Scheme To Lock Up Kids For Cash

Two corrupt judges admit to accepting $2.6 million in payments to take kids away from their families to house them in juvenile detention facilities (prisons) for kids in Pennsylvania, for little more than petty to minor offenses or infractions.

In Pennsylvania, the corrupt judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael T. Conahan are also connected to a drug dealer (Ronald Belletiere) in Florida, and to the mob through Michael T. Conahan's partnership as part owner (10%) of a bank called First National Community Bancorp INC. (FNCB), along with Louis DeNaples (FNCB director) who also is a partner of William "Big Billy" D'Elia, age 62, an alleged mafia crime boss turned government informant who received a 9 year prison term during November 2008.

The corrupt judges Ciavarella and Conahan assisted attorney Robert Powell in securing $30 million in Luzerne County contracts to lock up kids in juvenile detention facilities that Powell co-owned, known as Western PA Child Care LLC., while accepting $2.6 million in kickbacks from Robert Powell to fill up Powell's detention centers with kids. 

Pennsylvania prosecutors have alleged that Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan took $2.6 million in payoffs to put juvenile offenders in detention centers operated by Western PA Child Care LLC and a sister company co-owned by Robert Powell until recently.

It's believed that the corrupt judges may have tainted the convictions of thousands of juvenile offenders since 2003, and a full investigation is underway.

Thousands of kids may have been housed in detention centers that should not have been there through the years, and those currently locked up by the judges for minor offenses should be immediately released.

On February 12, 2009 the two corrupt judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan of Luzerne County admitted their guilt in the kickback scheme with attorney Robert Powell, resulting in the lockup of kids for cash.

See additional articles & more information about this tragic situation below...

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NOTE: [[[JUPITER, Fla. -- A convicted drug dealer and attorney Robert Powell were among the people who were listed as "permanent guests" permitted to use an exclusive condominium owned by Luzerne County judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella, according to documents obtained Friday by The Times Leader. See article below for details...]]]

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PA state audit questions expenses of child care firm
BY DAVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER

Published: Thursday, February 12, 2009
Updated: Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:03 AM EST

http://tinyurl.com/agazac

WILKES-BARRE — Western PA Child Care LLC, one of two juvenile detention companies at the heart of the courthouse corruption scandal, racked up $1.2 million in unallowable expenses from July 2007 through June 2008, according to state auditors.

A draft of a Department of Public Welfare audit obtained by Times-Shamrock Newspapers alleges Western PA Child Care and a related firm paid unsupported fees of more than $700,000 to principals in the companies and to other companies they controlled.

The audit also found that Luzerne County paid $73,920 for spaces at Western PA Child Care’s facility in Butler County that it never used. Luzerne County reserved nine beds at the facility during the audit period, but they were sometimes empty, the audit said.

Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla, who was not in office when the contract was approved, said she didn’t know why the county contracted for those beds.

Commissioner Gregory Skrepenak, who voted for the contract with then-Commissioner Rose Tucker, said it was negotiated by county probation officials and the reservation of beds is a common practice.

Western PA Child Care and a related company that owns a juvenile detention center in Pittston Twp., Pennsylvania Child Care, were aided in securing $30 million in Luzerne County contracts by county Judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan, according to federal prosecutors. The judges are expected to plead guilty today for allegedly accepting $2.6 million in kickbacks from two individuals connected to the companies.

Neither judge is mentioned in the draft audit.

The audit questions numerous payments Western PA Child Care made to Butler Twp. attorney Robert J. Powell, a former co-owner of the company. A holding company that controlled Mr. Powell’s interest in the centers made some of the payments to the judges, federal prosecutors allege. Mr. Powell’s attorneys issued a statement Wednesday acknowledging the payments, but saying Mr. Powell later regretted them and cooperated with federal investigators.

Mr. Powell did not respond to e-mail and phone messages Wednesday.

Contact the writer: djanoski [at] timesshamrock.com

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2 Pa. judges plead guilty in kickback scheme
The Associated Press
Published: February 12, 2009

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/02/12/america/Courthouse-Kickbacks.php


SCRANTON, Pa.: Two Pennsylvania judges charged with taking more than $2 million in kickbacks to send youth offenders to privately run detention centers pleaded guilty to fraud Thursday in one of the most stunning cases of judicial corruption on record.

Prosecutors allege Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan took $2.6 million in payoffs to put juvenile offenders in lockups run by PA Child Care LLC and a sister company, possibly tainting the convictions of thousands of juvenile offenders.

The judges pleaded guilty in federal court in Scranton to honest services fraud and tax fraud. Their plea agreements call for sentences of more than seven years in prison. They were permitted to remain free pending sentencing.

The gray-haired jurists said little at Thursday's hearing, and declined to comment to reporters afterward.

Prosecutors described a scheme in which Conahan, the former president judge of Luzerne County, shut down the county-owned juvenile detention center in 2002 and signed an agreement with PA Child Care LLC to send youth offenders to its new facility outside Wilkes-Barre.

Ciavarella, who presided over juvenile court, sent youths to the detention center while he was taking payments, prosecutors said.

For years, youth advocacy groups complained that Ciavarella was overly harsh and ran roughshod over youngsters' constitutional rights. Ciavarella sent a quarter of his juvenile defendants to detention centers from 2002 to 2006, compared with a statewide rate of one in 10.

Among the offenders were teenagers who were locked up for months for stealing loose change from cars, writing a prank note and possessing drug paraphernalia. Many had never been in trouble before, and some were imprisoned even after probation officers recommended against it. Many of the children didn't have attorneys.

Susan Mischanski, 46, whose teenage son appeared in Ciavarella's courtroom without an attorney, said Thursday she hopes the judge gets more than seven years behind bars. Ciavarella sentenced her son — a first-time offender charged with simple assault — to 90 days at a juvenile wilderness camp.

"Only because he hurt my child, I'd like to see him put away for longer," said Mischanski, who attended the hearing.

Ciavarella has specifically denied sending kids to jail for cash, and had indicated he would not go through with the guilty plea if the government offered that as evidence.

Thus prosecutors Thursday skirted over many of the allegations contained in their original criminal complaint, presenting only enough evidence to establish that crimes had occurred.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Zubrod said after the hearing that the government continues to allege a quid pro quo. "We're not negotiating that, no. We're not backing off," he said.

The prosecutor said it will be up to U.S. District Judge Edwin Kosik, who will determine the judges prison terms after a lengthy pre-sentence investigation, to settle the matter. Kosik could reject the proposed sentence as too light if he decides there was a quid pro quo.

"I think there will be significant disagreements as to what the facts are," Zubrod said. "Was there a connection between the payments and the money, and young people going to prison? Those are issues that are going to be addressed later by the court. There's going to be plenty of time to fight about that."

The judges were charged Jan. 26 and subsequently removed from the bench by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The high court on Wednesday appointed a senior judge from Berks County to review cases handled by Ciavarella dating back to 2003.

"The goal of this court is to determine whether the alleged travesty of juvenile justice occurred, and if it did, to identify the affected juveniles and rectify the situation as fairly and swiftly as possible," the justices said in a statement.

Senior Judge Arthur E. Grim must report his findings in four months.

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Pa. judges accused of jailing kids for cash

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press Writers Michael Rubinkam And Maryclaire Dale, Associated Press Writers 58 mins ago

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090211/ap_on_re_us/courthouse_kickbac

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – For years, the juvenile court system in Wilkes-Barre operated like a conveyor belt: Youngsters were brought before judges without a lawyer, given hearings that lasted only a minute or two, and then sent off to juvenile prison for months for minor offenses.

The explanation, prosecutors say, was corruption on the bench.

In one of the most shocking cases of courtroom graft on record, two Pennsylvania judges have been charged with taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to send teenagers to two privately run youth detention centers.

"I've never encountered, and I don't think that we will in our lifetimes, a case where literally thousands of kids' lives were just tossed aside in order for a couple of judges to make some money," said Marsha Levick, an attorney with the Philadelphia-based Juvenile Law Center, which is representing hundreds of youths sentenced in Wilkes-Barre.

Prosecutors say Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan took $2.6 million in payoffs to put juvenile offenders in lockups run by PA Child Care LLC and a sister company, Western PA Child Care LLC. The judges were charged on Jan. 26 and removed from the bench by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court shortly afterward.

No company officials have been charged, but the investigation is still going on.

The high court, meanwhile, is looking into whether hundreds or even thousands of sentences should be overturned and the juveniles' records expunged.

Among the offenders were teenagers who were locked up for months for stealing loose change from cars, writing a prank note and possessing drug paraphernalia. Many had never been in trouble before. Some were imprisoned even after probation officers recommended against it.

Many appeared without lawyers, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1967 ruling that children have a constitutional right to counsel.

The judges are scheduled to plead guilty to fraud Thursday in federal court. Their plea agreements call for sentences of more than seven years behind bars.

Ciavarella, 58, who presided over Luzerne County's juvenile court for 12 years, acknowledged last week in a letter to his former colleagues, "I have disgraced my judgeship. My actions have destroyed everything I worked to accomplish and I have only myself to blame." Ciavarella, though, has denied he got kickbacks for sending youths to prison.

Conahan, 56, has remained silent about the case.

Many Pennsylvania counties contract with privately run juvenile detention centers, paying them either a fixed overall fee or a certain amount per youth, per day.

In Luzerne County, prosecutors say, Conahan shut down the county-run juvenile prison in 2002 and helped the two companies secure rich contracts worth tens of millions of dollars, at least some of that dependent on how many juveniles were locked up.

One of the contracts — a 20-year agreement with PA Child Care worth an estimated $58 million — was later canceled by the county as exorbitant.

The judges are accused of taking payoffs between 2003 and 2006.

Robert J. Powell co-owned PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care until June. His attorney, Mark Sheppard, said his client was the victim of an extortion scheme.

"Bob Powell never solicited a nickel from these judges and really was a victim of their demands," he said. "These judges made it very plain to Mr. Powell that he was going to be required to pay certain monies."

For years, youth advocacy groups complained that Ciavarella was ridiculously harsh and ran roughshod over youngsters' constitutional rights. Ciavarella sent a quarter of his juvenile defendants to detention centers from 2002 to 2006, compared with a statewide rate of one in 10.

The criminal charges confirmed the advocacy groups' worst suspicions and have called into question all the sentences he pronounced.

Hillary Transue did not have an attorney, nor was she told of her right to one, when she appeared in Ciavarella's courtroom in 2007 for building a MySpace page that lampooned her assistant principal.

Her mother, Laurene Transue, worked for 16 years in the child services department of another county and said she was certain Hillary would get a slap on the wrist. Instead, Ciavarella sentenced her to three months; she got out after a month, with help from a lawyer.

"I felt so disgraced for a while, like, what do people think of me now?" said Hillary, now 17 and a high school senior who plans to become an English teacher.

Laurene Transue said Ciavarella "was playing God. And not only was he doing that, he was getting money for it. He was betraying the trust put in him to do what is best for children."

Kurt Kruger, now 22, had never been in trouble with the law until the day police accused him of acting as a lookout while his friend shoplifted less than $200 worth of DVDs from Wal-Mart. He said he didn't know his friend was going to steal anything.

Kruger pleaded guilty before Ciavarella and spent three days in a company-run juvenile detention center, plus four months at a youth wilderness camp run by a different operator.

"Never in a million years did I think that I would actually get sent away. I was completely destroyed," said Kruger, who later dropped out of school. He said he wants to get his record expunged, earn his high school equivalency diploma and go to college.

"I got a raw deal, and yeah, it's not fair," he said, "but now it's 100 times bigger than me."

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[[[More on judges Mark A. Ciaverella & Michael T. Conahan, a ten percent owner of the First National Community Bancorp INC., in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, and their connection to convicted drug dealer Ronald Belletiere, and attorney Robert Powell a former co-owner of detention centers for kids.]]]

Dealer a guest at judges' condo: Ronald Belletiere had been a supplier to the Empire drug ring, prosecutors say.  (  ) Jan 31, 2009 (The Times Leader - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --

JUPITER, Fla. -- A convicted drug dealer and attorney Robert Powell were among the people who were listed as "permanent guests" permitted to use an exclusive condominium owned by Luzerne County judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella, according to documents obtained Friday by The Times Leader.

Ronald Belletiere, who was convicted of participating in the Empire Drug ring that operated in Hazleton in the mid-1980s, was listed as a permanent guest along with Powell and Ciavarella's three children on a resident registration form maintained by The Mariner at the Jupiter (Fla.) Yacht Club. The designation allows persons listed to have access to the property without having to get authorization from the owners.

The form, obtained by the newspaper, is the latest document to surface that shows the close personal as well as financial ties that Powell, a wealthy Butler Township attorney, had with Ciavarella and Conahan during their tenure on the bench.

It also raises further questions regarding Conahan's ties to Belletiere, a man federal prosecutors said was a supplier to the Empire drug ring and who, according to corporate documents, later opened a used car lot with Conahan's wife.

The U.S. Attorney's office on Monday filed charges against Conahan and Ciavarella, alleging the men accepted more than $2.6 million in kickbacks in exchange for rulings they made that benefited the PA Child Care detention center in Pittston Township and its sister facility near Pittsburgh. The centers were owned by Powell until last June, when he sold out to his partner, Gregory Zappala.

The federal complaint alleges that Vision Holdings, a company owned by Powell, and Mericle Construction, owned by Robert Mericle, wrote numerous checks to businesses controlled by Conahan and Ciavarella in an attempt to make the money look as though it was legitimately earned.

Prosecutors further allege the judges have a controlling interest in the Pinnacle Group of Jupiter LLC, which is listed on mortgage documents as owning unit 303 at the Mariner at Jupiter Yacht Club.

The registration form obtained by the newspaper lists Conahan and his wife Barbara and Ciavarella and his wife Cindy as co-owners of unit 303.

Powell's financial ties to Conahan and Ciavarella were first revealed last May through statements of financial interest the judges are required to file. Those statements showed that all three men at one time had a financial interest in W-Cat Inc., a real estate development firm that was building a townhouse project in Wright Township.

Conahan's ties to Belletiere date back to the late 1980s, according to testimony that was presented at Belletiere's 1991 trial on drug charges.

According to a transcript of that trial obtained by The Times Leader in 1994, Neal DeAngelo, a Hazleton businessman, testified that in 1986 Conahan, then a district judge in Hazleton, had warned him about purchasing drugs from another man whom Conahan said was under investigation.

Neal DeAngelo, who was never charged, testified Conahan then introduced him to Belletiere, a former Hazleton man who was living in Miami. DeAngelo said he, his brother Paul and Neal Forte then traveled to Florida in early 1987 and purchased $26,500 worth of cocaine from Belletiere.

The trial transcript shows the prosecutor in the case described Conahan as an "unindicted co-conspirator" in a sidebar conversation with U.S. District Judge Edwin Kosik.

Kosik has been assigned to the criminal case against Ciavarella and Conahan. The two are scheduled to appear in federal court, Scranton, at 1 p.m. Feb. 12 to enter guilty pleas to charges of tax evasions and honest services fraud.

Conahan was never charged in connection with that investigation. Confronted with the testimony in 1994, Conahan, who had taken his seat on the county bench eight months earlier, vehemently denied any involvement in the drug case.

Belletiere was convicted and served nearly four years in prison before being released in May 1995. His name resurfaced in connection with Conahan last July, when it was revealed that Belletiere had opened a used car lot with Barbara Conahan.

Charles Rebhan, a former employee of RAB Auto Sales in Pompano Beach, told The Times Leader he was present at a meeting with Belletiere and Michael and Barbara Conahan at which time they discussed opening the car lot.

Barbara Conahan is listed as the president of RAB Auto Sales Inc., trading as Ocean Auto Sales, formed in 2004. Documents filed with the Florida Corporation Bureau list Belletiere as the "contact person" for Ocean Auto Sales.

Other documents obtained by The Times Leader this week show Powell docked his 56-foot, $1.5 million yacht, "Reel Justice," at the Jupiter Yacht Club's marina.

Powell had signed a rental agreement that allowed him to dock the vessel at the marina from Oct. 21, 2003, to Oct. 21, 2004. The agreement was attached to a lawsuit Powell filed in Luzerne County Court in September 2004, that sought to prevent the yacht club's condominium association from evicting the vessel for violating the association's rules.

Luzerne County Judge Michael Toole issued an injunction, despite questions raised by the association's attorneys over whether Pennsylvania courts had jurisdiction over the matter, given that the vessel was located in Florida. The dispute was resolved two months later when Powell voluntarily dissolved the injunction.

To see more of The Times Leader, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.timesleader.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre,
Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email
tmsreprints [at] permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax
to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave.,
Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

Terrie Morgan-Besecker and Jerry Lynott

Copyright (C) 2009, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

http://tinyurl.com/d6etwe

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[[[More on judge Michael T. Conahan who is connected to mafia crime boss William “Big Billy” D’Elia, through his partner Louis DeNaples of FNCB.]]]

Former Luzerne County President Judge Michael Conahan sat on the board of directors at the First National Community Bank (FNCB) of Dunmore until January 26, 2009. Now a senior part-time judge, Conahan was one of 12 members of the bank board of directors, a position that paid him $53,180 in 2007, according to an article written by Terrie Morgan-Besecker in Sunday’s Times Leader.

FNCB, a relatively new bank that formed in 1997, is controlled by Louis DeNaples and his brother Dominick, who are the largest shareholders, the newspaper said.

Louis DeNaples owns the Mt. Airy Resort and Casino and is currently awaiting a hearing after being charged with perjury in connection with his testimony during the casino application process.

The DeNaples brothers gave Conahan's wife a loan for a Florida condo. The condo cost $785,000, according to sources. The loan was for $848,000, according to the Times Leader.

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Michael T. Conahan

MICHAEL T CONAHAN Born  Apr 1952   
1307 CHESTNUT ST 
HAZLETON, PA  18201   

MICHAEL T CONAHAN Born  1952   
301 DEER RUN DR   
MOUNTAIN TOP, PA  18707

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Mafia kingpin William D'Elia gets nine years

Reputed Mafia crime boss William “Big Billy” D’Elia, left, got nine years in prison after reportedly helping authorities build their case against Mount Airy casino owner Louis DeNaples, right. DeNaples and his priest, the Rev. Joseph Sica, center, face perjury charges.Associated Press

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press Writer
November 25, 2008

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081125/NEWS/811250325

SCRANTON — The reputed boss of a northeastern Pennsylvania crime family could get time knocked off his prison sentence because he is cooperating with authorities in their prosecution of Mount Airy casino owner Louis DeNaples.

William "Big Billy" D'Elia, 62, became the latest alleged American Mafia leader to turn government informant as he was sentenced Monday to nine years in prison for witness tampering and conspiracy to launder drug money. With time already served, he could be freed in seven years — or less.

D'Elia had faced a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $750,000 fine. His Stroudsburg-based attorney, James Swetz, said he would recommend that D'Elia not appeal his sentence.

Federal prosecutors agreed to recommend a reduction in D'Elia's sentence if he continues to provide substantial assistance to the Dauphin County district attorney's office, which has charged DeNaples with perjury.

DeNaples allegedly lied to state gambling regulators about his friendship with D'Elia, whom authorities once called a "major player" in organized crime. DeNaples says he is innocent and accuses D'Elia of lying to authorities in a bid to shave time off his prison sentence.

In court Monday, the silver-haired, 6-foot-3 D'Elia stood before U.S. District Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie and apologized for his crimes.

"At this time, I would like to accept responsibility for my actions and apologize to your honor," said D'Elia, who had requested a sentence of seven years. "I hope that I will soon be able to resume my life with my family in a positive, honorable and productive way and care for them once more."

Though he spent more than 20 years under law enforcement surveillance, D'Elia was never charged with a crime until May 2006, when prosecutors accused him of laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds through the creation of bogus companies, loans and consulting agreements.

Five months later, prosecutors charged him with trying to arrange the murder of a co-conspirator, Frank Pavlico III, after D'Elia found out that Pavlico was cooperating with the government.

Pavlico had worn a wire and recorded conversations with D'Elia. He pleaded guilty to money laundering and was sentenced in January to 10 months in federal prison.

D'Elia, of Hughestown, was originally charged with 18 counts, including solicitation of murder. Prosecutors dropped most of the charges when D'Elia pleaded guilty last March.

D'Elia, in leg chains and a brown suit, dabbed his eyes Monday as his wife and two daughters begged Vanaskie for leniency.

Daughter Carolyn Moscatelli — whose 1999 wedding DeNaples reportedly attended — testified that D'Elia's imprisonment has "shattered our family financially, physically and emotionally."

His other daughter, Miriam D'Elia, an attorney, sobbed while portraying D'Elia as a "loving, supportive and caring" husband, father and grandfather. She said D'Elia had not been "fairly perceived by the public and media."

His wife, Ellen D'Elia, who recently suffered a heart attack, called her husband a "good person" and said the family "is starting to deteriorate without him."

"I know he's sorry for all the things that have happened, and I promise you we will help him get back to a good and normal life if he's back home with us," she said.

Vanaskie was skeptical, noting that D'Elia continued to commit crimes even after he was initially charged with money laundering. Nevertheless, the sentence was at the bottom range of guidelines that recommended a prison term of between nine years and slightly more than 11 years. Vanaskie said he weighed the seriousness of the charges against the declining health of D'Elia and his wife, and the good deeds described by family and friends.

D'Elia has assisted Dauphin County authorities in their prosecution of DeNaples and DeNaples' priest, the Rev. Joseph Sica.

DeNaples, a wealthy Scranton-area businessman, was charged in January with perjury after a grand jury said he lied to investigators with the state Gaming Control Board about his relationships with D'Elia; another reputed mobster; and two men at the center of a political corruption scandal in Philadelphia in order to win a $50 million slot-machine license for his Poconos resort.

Sica faces a single perjury count for allegedly lying to the grand jury about his ties to the late Russell Bufalino, an organized crime boss who died in the 1990s. Sica, whose lawyer was in the courtroom Monday, denies the charge.

D'Elia has been linked to the mob by the FBI and the now-defunct Pennsylvania Crime Commission.

Former Philadelphia and South Jersey mob boss Ralph Natale, who has repeatedly testified for the government in mob trials, told a jury in 2001 that D'Elia led the Pittston-based Bufalino crime family.

In court papers, the government said D'Elia was reputed to be a mediator among mob families, had met frequently with Philadelphia mobsters and had frequent contacts with western Pennsylvania and New York families.

He is banned from New Jersey's casinos.

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Judge gives D’Elia 9 years ("reputed Mafia boss")
Times Leader (Wilkes Barre, PA) ^  | 11/25/08  | Terrie Morgan-Besecker

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2138000/posts

Posted on 11/25/2008 5:57:56 AM PST by Born Conservative

SCRANTON – Reputed Mafia boss William “Billy” D’Elia was sentenced Monday to nine years in federal prison, but he could reduce that sentence further if he provides “substantial” assistance in the prosecution of Mount Airy Casino owner Louis DeNaples, a prosecutor said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Zubrod said the amount of time D’Elia might shave off his sentence is dependent upon how helpful he is in aiding Dauphin County prosecutors in the pending perjury cases against DeNaples and his longtime spiritual adviser, the Rev. Joseph Sica.

The offer is in addition to already significant concessions the U.S. Attorney’s Office has made for D’Elia, who initially faced 18 charges related to an elaborate money laundering scheme and an attempt to have a witness in that case killed.

In March prosecutors agreed to drop 16 of those charges and allow D’Elia to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and attempted witness tampering. The deal was based on his help in building the case against DeNaples and Sica, Zubrod and D’Elia’s attorney, James Swetz, have confirmed.

DeNaples, of Dunmore, is accused of lying to state gaming officials about his relationship with D’Elia, 62, of Hughestown, long alleged to be the head of the Pittston-based crime family once ruled by the late Russell Bufalino. Sica, a Catholic priest, is accused of lying to a grand jury about his relationship with Bufalino. The cases are pending in Dauphin County court.

Attorneys for DeNaples attended D’Elia’s sentencing to “keep abreast of the latest developments” in the government’s case against DeNaples, said Kevin Feeley, DeNaples’ spokesman.

DeNaples adamantly denies the charges against him. Feeley lambasted prosecutors for making a deal with D’Elia.

“He got a significant reduction in his sentence with a promise of a potential for more, dependent upon what he is willing to say in a courtroom,” Feeley said. “I think the evidence clearly suggests he is willing to say anything.”

Standing before U.S. District Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie, the gravel-voiced D’Elia apologized for his crimes.

“I’m truly sorry for my actions that may have harmed people,” he said. “I hope I will soon be able to resume my life with my family in a positive, honorable and productive way.”

D’Elia had sought a sentence of seven years, but Vanaskie rejected that request. The judge instead sentenced him at the low end of sentencing guidelines, which called for a sentence anywhere from nine to 15 years in prison. With credit for time served, D’Elia will serve no more than seven years.

Vanaskie said he considered many factors in fashioning the sentence, including D’Elia’s poor health and the support he has from his family and the community.

About a dozen people, including D’Elia’s wife, Ellen, and two daughters, Miriam D’Elia and Carolyn Moscatelli, filled the courtroom in his support. Some wiped tears from their eyes as they awaited D’Elia’s appearance before the judge.

“I do want to let you know my husband is a good person, a good father and good grandfather,” Ellen D’Elia told Vanaskie.

Moscatelli and Miriam D’Elia described their father as loving and caring person.

“Everyone of us grew up felling loved and special,” Moscatelli said. “The last years have shattered our family.”

But Zubrod painted a different portrait of D’Elia – that of a criminal who would stop at nothing, including murder – to continue his criminal activity.

A grand jury first indicted D’Elia and several co-defendants, Louis Pagnotti, Richard Smallcombe and Frank Pavlico III, in May 2006 on charges they helped convicted drug dealer John Doncses launder hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds to make it seem as though the money was legitimately earned.

A second indictment issued in October 2006 alleged D’Elia, who was free on bail in the first case, continued to launder money and that he ordered the murder of Pavlico after learning he was cooperating with authorities.

“This was a cold-blooded attempt to obstruct the investigation by murdering a witness,” Zubrod told Vanaskie.

Vanaskie said he found D’Elia’s actions while out on bail particularly troubling. The judge said he has “no confidence” that any sentence he imposed would stop D’Elia’s criminal conduct.

“I have a defendant in this case who, after being placed on pre-trial release, continued to commit crimes,” Vanaskie said. “You can’t be laundering money while you are on pre-trial release. That’s a very serious matter.”

D’Elia’s sentencing brings to a close an extensive investigation that involved numerous police agencies, including the Pennsylvania State Police, FBI, IRS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

U.S. Attorney Martin C. Carlson lauded the agencies for their effort in bringing D’Elia and his co-defendants to justice.

“Today’s sentencing sends a powerful message about the commitment of law enforcement to break the grip of organized criminal money laundering in northeastern Pennsylvania and to ensure that the people of central Pennsylvania can live free of the influence of organized crime,” Carlson said in a prepared statement.

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More details on Judges Ciaverella & Conahan...

Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. - Age 58
(Relative) Cindy Ciavarella...

MARK A CIAVARELLA
305 DEER RUN DR   
MOUNTAIN TOP, PA  18707   


MARK A CIAVARELLA     
44 HILLARD ST 
WILKES BARRE, PA  18702 
(570) 824-5619


MARK A CIAVARELLA
63 RIVER ST
WILKES BARRE, PA  18702

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According to the Bureau of Unclaimed Property in Pennsylvania
Mark  A. Ciavarella Jr., is owed under $100.00 by the Exelon Corporation.

CIAVARELLA
MARK
A JR
Mountain Top
PA
18707-0000
Exelon Corporation
Under $100


  CIAVARELLA
MARK
A JR
Mountain Top
PA
18707-0000
Exelon Corporation
Under $100

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Public Records

CIAVARELLA. MARK, A JR, Mountain Top, PA, 18707-0000, Exelon Corporation, Under $100...

Unclaimed Money - Treasury Department, PA
http://www.patreasury.org - Deep Web

CIAVARELLA. MARK, A, Shippensburg, PA, 17257, Office Of The Budget, Over $100...

Unclaimed Money - Treasury Department, PA
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21341, Ciavarella, Jr. Mark, A. Judge...

Attorney Record - Disciplinary Board of the Suprem
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PA Attorney Information

Mark A. Ciavarella Jr.

PA Attorney ID:
21341

Current Status:
Judge

Date of Admission:
10/09/1975

Lawfirm:

Other Organization:

District:
3

County:
Luzerne

http://www.padisciplinaryboard.org/pa_attorney_info.php?id=21341&pdcount=0

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Mark A. Ciavarella profile

By Michael R. Sisak
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:45 AM EST

http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/articles/2009/01/27/news/doc497eea0ed4929978915141.txt

Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. ascended to the Luzerne County judiciary a decade-and-a-half ago with a pledge to "return to a time when values had importance."

"It's time for people who break the law to realize they'll be punished," he said as he announced his candidacy for a seat on the Court of Common Pleas in August 1994 — a position he agreed to resign after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

Judge Ciavarella, a private-practice attorney and municipal solicitor at the time, told voters he wanted to be the "citizens' judge."

He portrayed himself as a man of the people — a hard-line populist who operated outside the network of "good old boys" who ran the county government and the courts.


"I believe I have the foresight and understanding of how the judicial system should operate and a commitment to making sure our criminal justice system punishes those who violate our rights and lets criminals understand that we law-abiding citizens have rights, too," Judge Ciavarella said in May 1995, days before the primary.

Judge Ciavarella agreed to resign after his indictment on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit tax fraud — the first development in a two-year federal investigation into the judge's personal business dealings and the influence they had on his operation of the courts.

Federal prosecutors accused Ciavarella and Senior Judge Michael T. 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.

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.

In the final years of his tenure, Ciavarella, 58, slouched from his people-first posture on which he campaigned and evolved into the defiant chief of the "good old boys" he derided before his election.

Last April, an advocacy group accused Ciavarella of violating the due process rights of hundreds of juvenile defendants by forcing them through proceedings without properly apprising them of their right to an attorney.

The state Supreme Court declined to intervene in the cases, despite Ciavarella's admission that he was "wrong" to skip directly to sentencing and his decision to abdicate his juvenile court duties.

Last May, an attorney in a legal malpractice case accused Ciavarella of an "obvious display of favoritism" toward the plaintiffs and their attorney, the former owner of the Pittston Township juvenile detention center, Robert Powell. The plaintiffs won a $3.4 million judgment.

Earlier this month, county officials accused Ciavarella, the president judge since January 2007, of nepotism and cronyism after he filed a lawsuit to block nearly $5 million in cuts to the judicial budget.

"He's trying to maintain his fiefdom," county Commissioner Stephen A. Urban said on Jan. 7, after the county's attorneys assailed Ciavarella in an 11-page rebuttal to his lawsuit.

"The untouchables, they are," Urban said of Ciavarella and the court staff. "That's not fair, that's not right and the number of people he has are not needed."

The beginnings of Ciavarella's political life — and the development of his political and judicial support system — resonate in the black and white photographs and written accounts of the Aug. 21, 1994, ceremony at which he announced his intention to replace Judge Gifford S. Cappellini, who was mandated by state law to retire at age 70.

"For someone who has never sought public office, (Ciavarella) hardly seemed like a novice as he announced his candidacy for an upcoming judgeship in Luzerne County Court," The Citizens' Voice reported. "Shaking hands and handing out buttons, the candidate watched as a crowd of around 300 filled the room at the Ramada Hotel, Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, Sunday afternoon."

Ciavarella's earliest supporters included his friend Lori Umphred; developer Rob Mericle; former law partner Donald Rogers; and Joseph O'Hara, the basketball coach at St. Mary's High School. After his election, Ciavarella hired Umphred as his secretary, O'Hara as his tipstaff and Rogers as one of his two law clerks.

According to federal prosecutors, Mericle's company, Mericle Construction Inc., transferred at least $1.15 million to a firm co-owned by Ciavarella and Conahan between September 2004 and February 2006 in exchange for their facilitation of the development and use of juvenile detention centers in Pittston Township and Butler County.

Ciavarella announced his candidacy about a mile from where he grew up in the East End of Wilkes-Barre; a block from the campus of his alma mater, King's College; and four blocks from the Luzerne County Courthouse.

Ciavarella was born in Wilkes-Barre on March 3, 1950, the second of the three children, and remained in the city until law school at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

His sister Rozanne Ciavarella-Morgan, 60, a retired Luzerne County Human Services assistance specialist, still lives in the city. Their sister, Mary, 55, lives in Mays Landing, N.J.

Ciavarella attended Holy Saviour School and graduated from St. Mary's High School, where he played basketball for O'Hara, in 1968.

Four years later, Ciavarella received his bachelor's degree in history/government and pre-law from King's, where he was a member of the Aquinas Honor Society.

He returned to Wilkes-Barre with his law degree in 1975. He established a practice, partnered in the firm of Lowery, Ciavarella and Rogers and married Cindy Baer.

He served as Wilkes-Barre City solicitor from 1976 to 1978 and as solicitor for the city zoning hearing board from 1978 until his election as a judge.

In May 1982, as chairman of the Police Civil Service Board, Ciavarella drew the ire of city police with his support of fitness testing incorporated into the "overall examination for promotion to detective or sergeant."

The testing is, "here to stay, whether the men like it or not," Ciavarella said, in an early display of the brash, take-or-leave-it style he used on the bench.

Councilman John DiPietro objected to Ciavarella's appointment, citing his previous work as city solicitor and representation of police officers. Ciavarella was also solicitor to a firefighter's pension plan at the time, creating a possible conflict of interest, DiPietro said.

"Charges have been raised in the past that there was tampering with tests or bias," DiPietro said. "I'm certainly not saying that Ciavarella wouldn't be objective, but I think we should avoid any hassles."

Ciavarella served as solicitor for the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center from 1977 to 1995 and, for several years, worked as the center's assistant athletic director and girl's swim coach. In 1988, he performed as master of ceremonies at the center's 40th anniversary dinner.

In 1986, Ciavarella represented Dr. E. Glen Wolsieffer during the initial phases of the investigation into the strangulation of Wolsieffer's wife, Betty. Wolsieffer told police an intruder broke in and committed the killing, but prosecutors charged Wolsieffer and a jury convicted him of third-degree murder in 1990.

In 1993, Ciavarella defended the last Luzerne County judge to face criminal charges, Arthur D. Dalessandro, in a federal lawsuit brought by the Internal Revenue Service, which had moved to collect $186,899.17 in unpaid taxes plus interest and penalties.

In 1994, Ciavarella launched his judicial campaign, declaring a seat on the bench the "next logical step" in his career.

He announced his intention to run as he stood with his wife, Cindy Baer, their daughters, Lauren and Nicole, and son, Marco, in front of a banner printed with the words "A Re 'Mark' Able Choice for Judge."

Lauren, 27, followed Ciavarella into the law, and has worked as an assistant district attorney in the Luzerne County district attorney's office since last January. Nicole, 25, teaches in the Crestwood School District. Marco, 22, is a student at Penn State.

Ciavarella's judicial campaign nearly ended in the May 1995 primary.

All four candidates — Ciavarella, and attorneys Joseph Yeager, Tom Cometa and Joseph Giovannini Jr. — ran as Democrats with cross endorsements from the Republican Party. Yeager won the Republican nomination and Ciavarella edged Giovannini by 378 votes (18,759 to 18,381) for the Democratic nod.

Ciavarella outspent Yeager in the general election by a margin of greater than 4-to-1 — $200,000 for Ciavarella, including a $55,000 personal loan to his campaign committee; $45,000 for Yeager. He won the general election by more than 5,600 votes.

Ciavarella took office on Jan. 2, 1996 — the day his parents, Mark Sr., a decorated World War II veteran, and Mary Cunningham Ciavarella, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

As a judge, Ciavarella handled high-profile assignments and the bulk of the juvenile court caseload — the realm of the judiciary that precipitated his downfall.

"It's probably the only court where you can make a difference in a child's life," Ciavarella said in 2005, a week before Luzerne County residents voted 59.5 percent to 40.5 percent to retain him. "You have the ability to put them in a treatment program that helps them get from the lowest point in their early lives to a place where they feel good about themselves."

Ciavarella presided over his first murder case in 1997, the bench trial of Richard Clark, who was accused of murdering a supervisor at a Pittston Township trucking company. Ciavarella found Clark guilty, but spared him from the death penalty with a sentence of life in prison.

Ciavarella spared another killer from death in September 2000, vacating the capital sentence imposed on Tyrone Moore, who was convicted of shooting a man during a robbery at the Forty Fort Animal Hospital in October 1982.

In 2003, Ciavarella made the unpopular decision to dismiss charges of robbery, unlawful restraint and interference with the custody of children against a Pittston man accused of hijacking a van and driving it to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. The man, Louis Pagnotti III, abandoned the van with two children, ages 11 and 12, in the back seat.

Last year, Ciavarella sentenced Joseph Solomon Jr., the "troubled man" who terrorized Luzerne County with three guns and a garbage truck, to more than 10 years in prison. Ciavarella, showing a flash of campaign promise, criticized Solomon's parents for allowing him to grow so deranged.

"If a case study could be done on how not to raise a child, that case study could be the Solomons," Ciavarella said. "It bothers me that I have to sentence this man to a long jail sentence. It bothers me that I can't sentence his parents for the same length of time in the jail cell next to him."

msisak [at] citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2061

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More on Michael T. Conahan - Judge

PA Attorney Information

Michael T. Conahan

PA Attorney ID:
25900

Current Status:
Judge

Date of Admission:
10/19/1977

Lawfirm:

Other Organization:

District:
3

County:
Luzerne

http://www.padisciplinaryboard.org/pa_attorney_info.php?id=25900&pdcount=0

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SEC Search...

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

Click below for fuul report...

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Date Filed
Title

01/28/2009
4 for CONAHAN MICHAEL T

COMPANY NAME(s) - [CONAHAN MICHAEL T (CIK - 1257224 /SIC - Unspecified), FIRST NATIONAL COMMUNITY BANCORP INC (CIK - 1035976 /SIC - 6021)]

 
X0303 4 2009-01-27 1 0001035976 FIRST NATIONAL COMMUNITY BANCORP INC FNCB 0001257224 CONAHAN MICHAEL T 1307 E CHESTNUT STREET HAZLETON PA 18201 1 0 0 0 Michael Conahan resigned his position of Director effective January 26, 2009.

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1. Name and Address of Reporting Person*

CONAHAN MICHAEL T

(Last)
(First)
(Middle)

1307 E CHESTNUT STREET

(Street)

HAZLETON
PA
18201

(City)
(State)
(Zip)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
FIRST NATIONAL COMMUNITY BANCORP INC  [ FNCB ]
5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

X
Director
10% Owner

Officer (give title below)
Other (specify below)

3. Date of Earliest Transaction  (Month/Day/Year)
01/27/2009

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed  (Month/Day/Year)

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X
Form filed by One Reporting Person

Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

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FIRST NATIONAL COMMUNITY BANCORP INC (0001035976)

SIC: 6021  - NATIONAL COMMERCIAL BANKS
State location: PA  | State of Inc.: PA | Fiscal Year End: 1231

   (Assistant Director Office No 7)

Business Address
102 EAST DRINKER STREET
DUMORE PA 18512
7173486438
Mailing Address
102 EAST DRINKER STREET
DUNMORE PA 18512

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Judge Michael T. Conahan & Louis DeNaples...

Click below for SEC links on Louis DeNaples partner of judge Michael T. Conahan...

http://tinyurl.com/d9fhac

08/14/2008
10-Q for MOHEGAN TRIBAL GAMING AUTHORITY

COMPANY NAME(s) - [MOHEGAN TRIBAL GAMING AUTHORITY (CIK - 1005276 /SIC - 7997)]

On January 30, 2008, the license of Mount Airy #1, LLC was suspended by the PGCB, and a trustee was appointed to oversee casino operations at Mount Airy Casino Resort following the filing of perjury charges against Mount Airy s owner, Louis A. DeNaples.

**********
02/27/2008
8-K for FIRST NATIONAL COMMUNITY BANCORP INC

COMPANY NAME(s) - [FIRST NATIONAL COMMUNITY BANCORP INC (CIK - 1035976 /SIC - 6021)]

On February 27, 2008, the Registrant s Board of Directors appointed Louis A. DeNaples, Jr. to the Boards of Directors of the Registrant and its wholly-owned subsidiary, First National Community Bank, effective immediately. 

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(Majority owner of FIRST NATIONAL COMMUNITY BANCORP INC., in partnership with Michael T. Conahan)

http://tinyurl.com/ddf9ag

DENAPLES LOUIS A (0001206491)

State location: PA

Business Address
102 E. DRINKER STREET
DUNMORE PA 18512
5703486446
Mailing Address
ELMHURST BLVD.
BOX 4375
MOSCOW PA 18444

SEC EDGAR Filing Information

Form 4 -- Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities

Period of Report: 2008-12-16
Filing Date Changed: 2008-12-16
Documents: 1

SEC Accession No.
0001035976-08-000070
Filing date: 2008-12-16
Accepted: 2008-12-16 16:12:58

Table of submitted documents:

Seq
Type
Document
Size
Description

1
4
ldenaplesform4121608_ex.html

1
4
ldenaplesform4121608_ex.xml
3316

0001035976-08-000070.txt
5180
Complete submission text file

Filer Information:
FIRST NATIONAL COMMUNITY BANCORP INC (Issuer)  (0001035976)
IRS No.: 232900790 | State of Incorp.: PA | Fiscal Year End: 1231
SIC: 6021 National Commercial Banks

  Assistant Director 7

Business Address
102 EAST DRINKER STREET
DUMORE PA 18512
7173486438

Mailing Address
102 EAST DRINKER STREET
DUNMORE PA 18512


DENAPLES LOUIS A (Reporting)  (0001206491)
Type: 4 | Act: 34 | File No.: 333-24121 | Film No.: 081252506


Business Address
102 E. DRINKER STREET
DUNMORE PA 18512
5703486446

Mailing Address
ELMHURST BLVD.
BOX 4375
MOSCOW PA 18444

***********
Louis A. DeNaples

Director/Chairman of the Board

First National Community Bancorp, Inc.
Dunmore  ,  PA

Sector:  FINANCIAL   /   Regional - Northeast Banks
 
67 Years Old
Louis A. DeNaples, President, DeNaples Auto Parts, Inc.; President, Keystone Landfill Inc.; Vice President Rail Realty Corp; Chairman of the Board of the Company since 1998 (currently on a leave of absence).

Director Compensation (First National Community Bancorp, Inc.)  for 2007

Fees earned or paid in cash
$55,000.00

Stock awards
$0.00

Option awards (in $)
$0.00

Non-equity incentive plan compensation
$0.00

Change in pension value and nondisqualified compensation earnings
$0.00

All other compensation
$0.00

Total Compensation
$55,000.00
Director Compensation (First National Community Bancorp, Inc.)  for 2006

Fees earned or paid in cash
$50,000.00

Stock awards
$0.00

Option awards (in $)
$0.00

Non-equity incentive plan compensation
$0.00

Change in pension value and nondisqualified compensation earnings
$0.00

All other compensation
$0.00

Total Compensation
$50,000.00

http://people.forbes.com:80/profile/louis-a-denaples/33439

Company:  First National Community ...  (FNCB)
Top Executives at First National Community Bancorp, Inc.

J. David Lombardi
CEO/President/Director

Louis A. DeNaples
Director/Chairman of the Board

Linda D'Amario
Controller

Dominick L. DeNaples
Director

Louis A. DeNaples
Director

Michael G. Cestone
Director

Gerard A. Champi
Other Corporate Officer/Senior VP, Subsidiary

Michael J. Cestone
Director

Stephen J Kavulich
Other Corporate Officer/Executive VP, Subsidiary

John P. Moses
Director

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Public Records

- [ CONAHAN MICHAEL T (CIK - 1257224 /SIC - Unspecified), FIRST NATIONAL COMMUNITY...

Official Filing Record - Security & Exchange Commi
searchhttp://www.sec.gov - Deep Web


CONAHAN. MICHAEL, MAGISTRA, Hazleton, PA, 18201, Northeastern Bank Of Pa, Under $100...

Unclaimed Money - Treasury Department, PA
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CONAHAN. MICHAEL, Hazleton, PA, Sears Roebuck And Company, Under $100...

Unclaimed Money - Treasury Department, PA
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25900, Conahan, Michael, T. Judge...

Attorney Record - Disciplinary Board of the Suprem
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