Rep. Pugh latest to denounce clemency for former judge Conahan

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 the “dishonorable” former Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan.

“Conahan’s conduct is forever a blight on Pennsylvania and is a slap in the face to the victims and their families who deserve justice to be served for his atrocious 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 Scranton City Council members to remove the name of the “President Joe Biden Expressway.”

”This will forever be a scar, reminding everyone of what happened here in Northeast Pennsylvania,” Pugh said. “My heart goes out to the victims and the families who were impacted by this scheme that has forever changed their lives.”

Pugh said Conahan and former Judge Mark Ciavarella, 76, were found guilty of conspiring to funnel juveniles to for-profit detention facilities in exchange for $2.8 million in kickbacks in 2010. Often referred as “kids-for-cash,” Pugh said the scheme affected thousands of minors — many of whom were first-time offenders convicted of minor infractions like truancy or jaywalking.

Last week, Conahan’s sentence was commuted by President Biden. Conahan was on a list of 1,499 commutations released by the White House last Thursday.

Conahan has been on home confinement at his Florida residence since June 2020, following nearly nine years behind bars, as part of a federal Bureau of Prisons initiative focused on removing eligible, non-violent inmates with coronavirus risk factors 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 District of Columbia Superior Court.

Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, issued a statement:

“For the many victims of the ‘Kids for Cash scandal,’ for their families, for those involved in bringing the perpetrators to account, for those of us who are still working on a second round of reforms for the juvenile justice system, a commutation of Michael Conahan’s sentence is incomprehensible and indefensible.

“Where does ruining the lives of vulnerable kids in order to enrich oneself warrant a presidential commutation?

“It is truly disheartening to see a national leader on criminal justice issues for decades so wantonly undermine the rule of equal justice in his waning days.”

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, President Biden’s decision to commute the sentence of Conahan “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 harm to northeastern Pennsylvania. Commuting Conahan’s sentence undermines the accountability that victims and their families rightfully deserve.

“The Biden-Harris Administration continues to prove they are out of touch with mainstream America, showing they are more interested in pacifying political allies than doing what’s right.

“President Biden caved to political pressure from his party, highlighting the transactional nature within its ranks. The American people want fairness for all, yet this commutation is the epitome of special treatment for those with connections.”

Earlier this week, Gov. Josh Shapiro was in Scranton and he 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 should be used incredibly carefully,” Shapiro said. “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.”

Shapiro said he recognizes that those on the outside can question those decisions. He then offered his 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,” Shapiro said. “This was not only a black eye on the community — the kids for cash scandal — but it also affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways. Some children took their lives because of this.

“Families were torn apart. There was all kind 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.

“Frankly, I thought the sentence that the judge got was too light, and the fact that he’s been allowed out over the last years because of COVID, was on house arrest and now has been granted clemency, I think, is absolutely wrong.

“He should have been in prison for at least the 17 years that he was sentenced to by a jury of his peers. He deserves to be behind bars, not walking as a free man.”