Joe Biden Sparks Outrage For Commuting Sentence Of “Kids-For-Cash” Judge, Democrat Governor Says Biden “Got It Absolutely Wrong”

Joe Biden fueled outrage after he commuted the sentence of a judge caught taking kickbacks in exchange for sending children to for-profit jails.

Known as the kids-for-cash scandal, former Judge Michael Conahan received a 17-year prison sentence after he shut down a county-run juvenile detention center and shared over $2 million in illegal payments from the builder and co-owner of two for-profit lockups.

Another judge, Mark Ciavarella, was also involved in the scandal.

According to Fox News, the illicit scheme is one of Pennsylvania’s worst judicial scandals.

Hmmmmmmm. Why? Biden slammed for commuting sentence of notorious ‘Kids-for-Cash’ judge Michael Conahan https://t.co/YVtFYQxr8K

— Dr. Naomi Wolf. 8 NYT Bestsellers. DPhil, Poetry. (@naomirwolf) December 13, 2024

Per Fox News:

The scandal is considered Pennsylvania’s largest-ever judicial corruption scheme with the state’s supreme court throwing out some 4,000 juvenile convictions involving more than 2,300 kids after the scheme was uncovered.

Conahan, 72, pleaded guilty in 2010 to one count of racketeering conspiracy but was released from prison to home confinement in 2020 because of COVID-19 health concerns with six years left in his sentence.

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But Biden, the so-called favorite son of Scranton, commuted Conahan’s sentence Thursday as part of the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history in which he commuted jail sentences for nearly 1,500 people and granted 39 pardons.

“My Administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances,” the president said.

Sandy Fonzo, who once confronted Ciavarella outside federal court after her son was placed in juvenile detention and committed suicide, said that the president’s actions were an “injustice” and “deeply painful.”

Biden commutes sentence of disgraced PA judge who sent kids to jail for $2.1 MILLION in kickbackshttps://t.co/mTxYMFKmQW

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) December 13, 2024

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said Biden “got it absolutely wrong” by commuting the disgraced former judge’s conviction.

“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 should be used incredibly carefully,” Shapiro said, according to Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

“I study every single case that comes across my desk where there’s a request for a pardon or clemency or a reduction of sentence, and I take it very seriously. I weigh the merits of the case. I weigh what occurred in the court proceedings. I think about public safety and victims and all of those issues factor into my decision,” he continued.

“So I’ll offer these thoughts as an outsider, not privy to all the information he looked at, but I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania,” he added.

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Democrat Josh Shapiro says Biden commuting Kids for Cash judge’s sentence as….“absolutely wrong”

In 2011, Michael Conahan was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison after he and another judge, Mark Ciavarella, were found guilty of accepting $2.8m in illegal payments in… pic.twitter.com/Uo8vWSuO4y

— SLS (@Appalachianish) December 14, 2024

From Pennsylvania Capital-Star:

Shapiro called the “Kids for Cash” scandal not only a “black eye on the community,” but said it affected families in “really deep and profound and sad ways.”

“Some children took their lives because of this. Families were torn apart,” Shapiro said of the scandal. “There was all kinds of mental health issues and anguish that came as a result of these corrupt judges deciding they wanted to make a buck off a kid’s back.”

Sandy Fonzo, whose son died by suicide after he was put in juvenile detention, said in statement Thursday that the commutation was “deeply painful,” adding “this pardon feels like an injustice for all of us who still suffer.”

State Sen. Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne) called the commutation “incomprehensible and indefensible” in a statement late Thursday. “Where does ruining the lives of vulnerable kids in order to enrich oneself warrant a presidential commutation?”

Shapiro added Friday that he thought the 17-year sentence for Conahan was “too light.”

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This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.