New row officers staff up

As first reported by Mark Luzerne County Controller-elect Walter Griffith
has selected Frank Pinnacoli to be deputy controller and Thomas Mosca as his new solicitor.

Pinnacoli has a BA in accounting from Kings College and has had a number of jobs the last few years. Price Waterhouse Coopers in New York City, CTSI in Dallas Acton Technologies Inc. in Pittston , Pella Products Inc. in Dunmore. Pinnacoli currently owns NEPA Accounting & Consulting Inc. in Kingston, a business he started with his father.

He replaces acting Controller AJ Martinelli who has to answer questions about his involvement with former Human Resources Director Doug Richards and the Continental Consultants Group. Earlier this year the Citizens Voice had a story about the no bid contract with Continental Consultants and I wrote about it in January. Not even the Commissioners knew what is going on let alone our clueless former Controller and present Commissioner Chairwoman. Why it took 10 months to expose this fraud is something all 3 commissioners and the acting controller have to answer for when all the information was in the public record. This should have been addressed long before the FBI had to figure it out for them. Martinelli also made the Idiot Watch with his spectacular pants falling down “Give me a break” DUI arrest performance.


Sam Stretton will be the solicitor when Carolee Medico Olenginski returns to the Luzerne County Prothonotary’s Office in January. Stretton was her solicitor the first time she held the office and later was the solicitor for former Controller Steve Flood who first blew the whistle on the Juvie Brothers and the 20 year lease of PA Child Care "negotiated" by the Bond Brothers. Primary Controller candidate Bob Sypniewski will be her deputy. Bob has previously said he would put his business interest on the back burner and work full time for the county.

Carolee has yet to name her interior decorator.

Conahan threatened Petrilla

“His final words to me were, ‘Maryanne, if you do this, you’re finished." Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla


TL: Luzerne County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla told the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice on Tuesday that former county Judge Michael Conahan personally called her in early 2008 to order her not to replace former chief clerk/manager Sam Guesto.

Commissioner Steve Urban said he talked to the Feds in 2006 and Controller Steve Flood also met with the FBI about the 20 year lease of the PA Child Care facility in Pittston Twp. Urban also said that he didn't have faith in the Judicial Conduct Board or the District Attorney. Most of us don't.

Minority Commissioner Greg Skrepenak refused to testify before the panel on the advice of his attorney. This has fueled the speculation about Skrep from PittstonPolitics.com Skrep refused to testify in hearings about the juvie scandal. This is knows as “Taking the Fifth” and other places.


There is so much going on that I can't keep up.

Reform school threw parties for judges, probation officials
I never get invited to the really good parties like this or the one at the airport

Brace resigns from state position

Testimony: Ciavarella’s ways accepted

Parents, juveniles testify damage was done

Juveniles, parents testify before commission about effect of detention, court proceedings


Horrific, heart-wrenching, courageous testimony of parents and kids in the "Kids for Cash" judges scandal in Luzerne County!

And so much more.

Just to add to the rumors. From the inbox:

Little inside info for you. This is confirmed through more than 3 sources. Former Luzerne County Cxx Txxx Vxxxxxx has been a cooperating witness since June and has made a plea agreement with the feds. Announcement is coming very soon.

And some media gossip:

Tidbits

A few weeks back TV 44's State of Pennsylvania featured the two local newspaper publishers.. After the show, xxx invited anyone in attendance to the GoodFella's eatery down the road on 315. It used to be Bella Vino. xxx picked up the tab paying a couple of thousand dollars in food and bar bills. The next day the media reported that newspaper employees were asked to take a 10% paycut. Irony. Wonder where they will are going to have their Christmas party? Abe's maybe?

My xxx works for the ... He wasn't there but his co workers were and they said xxx was buying drinks and food for everyone and people were buying $200 bottles of wine. The xxx's showed up later after having their outing and tried to pay for their drinks but they could not because the restaurant was running the tab. The xxx's insisted on paying but the owner got pissed off and threw them out.

Vonderheid would do it again

Former Luzerne County Commissioner Todd Vonderheid told the the Luzerne County Government Study Commission on Wednesday that he would vote to lease the PA Child Care juvie prison in Pittston again.

CV: In November 2004, commissioners Vonderheid and Greg Skrepenak signed a $58-million, 20-year lease for a juvenile facility owned by Hazleton-area attorney Robert J. Powell and western-Pennsylvania businessman Gregory Zappala...In January, disgraced former judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan were charged with taking more than $2.8 million in a kickback scheme to send juveniles to Pennsylvania Child Care LLC's facilities. Powell pleaded guilty in July; Zappala has not been charged or accused of wrongdoing..."I'd sign that lease tomorrow, with only two alterations," he said.

I'm not going to rehash all the controversy about that decision because everybody who reads the local papaers and this blog knows the story. I just find that statement to be in-fucking-credible.

Vonderheid is now the head honcho of the local chamber of commerce that always tells us that we have "great work ethic" and promises "good paying jobs." Under his stellar management the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry just avoided having it's headquarters sold at tax sale.

While he was in office he teamed with Greg Skrepenak and an army of consultants to produce county budgets that were works of fiction resulting in ever more borrowing every year just to pay the bills. That's why I call them the Bond Brothers.

Now we have to deal with Skrep and Vondy's lack of basic math skills and Commissioners Maryanne Petrilla and Steve Urban will have to bite the bullet and raise taxes to balance the budget. They are already getting beat up in the newspapers comment sections about the possibility. Last week Urban told me that they are not going to borrow any more money and I don't think that they could even if they wanted to because the county has reached the limit.

Nobody wants to pay more property taxes but I don't see an alternative.

About that finder's fee

SCRANTON - Prominent area developer Robert Mericle has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of failing to report a felony, Acting U.S. Attorney Dennis Pfannenschmidt announced today.

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The agreement, which was signed July 31, calls for Mericle to plead guilty to one count of failing to report a felony. Prosecutors say Mericle failed to disclose his knowledge that former judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella had accepted kickbacks in exchange for rulings that benefited the PA and Western PA juvenile detention centers that Mericle built.

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The centers were owned at the time by Gregory Zappala and Robert Powell. Powell has also entered a guilty plea in the case. Included in the plea agreement Mericle has also agreed to pay $2.15 million for funding programs that will benefit "the health, safety and general welfare of children of Luzerne County." I guess you can try to buy your way out of anything.

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Alternate headlines from Big Dan

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"IT'S MIRACLE! MERICLE FINALLY CHARGED!"

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IT'S A MERICLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!""MERICLES DO HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!"

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McGruff has

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Robert Mericle- No Miracle Could Avoid Pleading Guilty

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And my favorite

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Pfahrvergnügen from Pfannenschmidt

No more borrowing

County may face cuts and tax hikes

I have some mixed emotions about Luzerne County Commissioner Chair Maryanne Petrilla.

On the one hand I will always hold a grudge because she was recuited to take out the most effective Controller we ever had, Steve Flood, who sounded the alarm bells about the 20 year/$58 million lease with PA Child Care. The place was owned at the time by Greg Zappala and Robert Powell. Since then we have learned that Powell and multi party developer Robert Mericle were paying off the Juvie Brothers to put kids in their private prison.


On the other hand she has been upfront about limits of borrowing to balance the county budget since she became a commissioner and teamed up with Republican Commissioner Steve Urban to restore some sanity. The county is tapped out so borrowing more money for a new prison or anything else is out of the question. There is only so much you can cut so we can expect a big tax increase next year on top of the reassessment that doubled or tripled taxes on some people.

“Raising taxes is a very tough decision that one has to take very, very seriously. But at the same time, I said many times that I can’t make decisions today and tomorrow based on hoping to get re-elected in four years."-Maryanne Petrilla

"Robert Powell had bills to pay"

Witnesses back Lokuta claim of conspiracy

Lokuta: Conahan was courthouse king


Sandra Brulo said she was called into Ciavarella's chambers and Ciavarella handed her the phone, saying "the boss" wanted to talk to her. "Judge Conahan began screaming at me and accused me of being responsible for the ramping up limits. He said Robert Powell had bills to pay and that the ramping limits were limiting the admissions," Brulo said in the statement.


I've always thought that Judge Ann Lokuta got railroaded and Michael Conahan orchastrated her removal from the bench. Now 4 witnesses have made statements suporting her claim.


In addition to Brulo, statements were provided by Patricia Benzi, a security guard at the courthouse; Carolee Medico Olenginski, former county prothonotary; and Joseph S. Novak, a plaintiff in a civil case before Lokuta.

In her statement, Benzi said she was once asked to deliver an envelope from Billie D’Elia to Lokuta. Benzi said she gave the envelope to Lokuta’s secretary, Maureen Gushanas. Later that day, Gushanas returned the envelope to her and told her


“You tell him my judge isn’t like the rest of the judges!”

Juvie Brothers update

There are so many scandals going on it is hard to keep track.

Skrep's dad testifies before grand jury They might want to know about Debit Cards, no bid contracts at the prison and a 20 year lease with PA Child Care along with questions about who actually owns that bar.

Judge recommends $3.5 M defamation verdict be vacated Billy D'Elia's influence doesn't go as far as it used to.

Supreme court orders juvenile records preserved Common sense rules the day even when it involves Judges.

Defiance doomed Ciavarella, Conahan's plea deals Hopefully they are looking at more than 7 years in jail.

Moses sues LCCC, claims firing was retaliation DA Jackie Mo stands by the charges

Feds subpoena five PA teachers Many more teachers may have to put a hand on a bible.

Intellacom- Maybe Not So Intell-igent If school board directors are taking bribes someone is paying them.

I'm sure that I missed a few.

Toole in

It looks like The Lu Lac Politcal Letter has stopped swilling TAB and is now gulping Snapple. Between soft drinks David made it down to Penn Plaza to witness former Pittston city clerk/administrator Wil Toole file his petitions to get on the ballot as an independent candidate for Luzerne County Controller and snappled the picture on the right. Toole needed 982 signatures but filed more than 1500 on his nominating forms. The usual formula is to get at 3 times more signatures than what you need to withstand challenges and you can bet that there will be challenges to some of the signatures.

According to the TL article Toole was highly critical of past controller Steve Flood. I'm not sure what he is critical about. Steve Flood sounded the alarm bells about the 20 year lease of the PA Child Care facility in Pittston Township and Juvie Brother, Michael Conahan, made sure he was taken out when he ran for reelection. Maryanne Petrilla was recruited to make things right and she has yet to explain why she dropped all the investigations that he initiated.


Republican nominee Walter Griffith was measured in his response saying he was “kind of disappointed” that Toole switched parties to get on the ballot...“If he’s a Democrat all his life and just switches to run, that says a lot about his integrity,” Griffith said. “It’s just one more person that people will have to do their homework on.”


Bob Morgan won the Democratic nomination and has to be worried about a long time Democrat from Pittston being on the ballot even if he is calling himself an "Independent."


Morgan said he briefly reviewed Toole’s nominating petition Monday and said it was signed by many “old guard” political figures in county politics. “Clearly this is an attempt by the old guard of the county to take control of this election. Mr. Toole is being nominated by the old guard.”


My advice to Walter is to let it alone and let Morgan and Toole fight about signatures. If Toole is on the ballot in the fall he splits the Democratic vote and you win in a walk.

No honor among thieves

Former Judge Mark Ciavarella denies that he extorted payments from PA Child Care owner Robert Powell calling him a liar. Wired for sound attorney Powell says he did exactly that and claims to be a victim of the Judges greed. The part that I found to be funny was when Ciavella contended that Robert Mericle just walked into his office one day and offered to give him almost a million dollars as a "finders fee." I wish I had such generous friends.

Marino testifies

SCRANTON – Luzerne County Judge Michael Toole’s tipstaff Tom Marino testified for more than 1 hour Tuesday before a federal grand jury investigating corruption within the county.

He was issued a subpoena on June 1. The Feds are looking into money Participant 1 Robert Powell paid to Toole. Zen says it was $82,000 for his services for refusing to rule on subpoenas issued by then Controller Steve Flood when he was looking into the county contract with PA Child Care in 2005 then owned by Powell and Greg Zappala. Toole could have ruled against the subpoenas, but that would have given Flood a chance to appeal to get the subpoenas enforced. Toole was also a guest at the Juvie Brothers Florida condo least once and also ruled on a dispute involving Robert Powell's yacht.


Prosecutors say Powell knew that Conahan and Ciavarella were committing a crime when they accepted the kickbacks from Powell and local developer Participant 2 Robert Mericle, but failed to report it. He also helped the judges disguise the source of the money he and Mericle paid.

Juvie Brothers update

SCRANTON – Four months after publicly portraying himself as the victim of extortion by two rogue judges, attorney Robert Powell has admitted he was a willing participant in helping the disgraced jurists conceal part of their illegal activities....

When it was first revealed that Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan were taking bribes the question was who was paying them. The indictments identified them as Participant 1 and 2. Participant 1 was later identified as Robert Powell co-owner along with Greg Zappalla of PA Child Care in Pittston Twp. Many of the kids that got railroaded through Ciavarella's courtroom ended up there or their other venture Western PA Child Care. Participant 2 is multi-party Bob Mericle who's company built the Pittston Twp. facility. We await the headlines about the biggest real estate tax payer (minus KOZ's, LERTA's, etc) in Luzerne County in the near future.

Remember that Powell, Zappala and former Hazleton Mayor Michael Marsicano wanted to use taxpayer money to buy the land from them to build a Fantasy Airport near Hazleton. State House Majority Leader Todd Eachus and Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak were hot for the idea.

The US Attorney has charged Powell with conspiracy to commit tax evasion and part of his plea agreement includes forfeiting his yacht and private jet.

When he gets out of jail in 5 1/2 years he will need a new ride. This might get him around:

Bad company

Luzerne County Judge Michael Toole's Tipstaff Tom Marino got a subpoena on Monday.


Participant 1 in the Juvie Brothers scandal, Robert Powell, payed some cash to Toole for unspecified reasons according to Terrie Morgan-Besecker in the TL. Why would Powell possibly give money to Toole ? Let me get out my crayon.

Toole refused to rule on subpoenas issued by then Controller Steve Flood when he was looking into the county contract with PA Child Care in 2005 then owned by Powell. Toole could have ruled against the subpoenas, but that would have given Flood a chance to appeal to get the subpoenas enforced. Toole was also a guest at the Juvie Brothers Florida condo least once and also ruled on a dispute involving Robert Powell's yacht.

Or it could have been for something else.

In other news the Juvie Brothers are still free to travel back and forth to the condo in Florida and may not be sentenced for some time.

Sentencing date for former judges delayed

Someone once said that justice delayed is justice denied.

Two other local crooks plead guilty this week.

Height, Scarantino to enter guilty pleas

Juvie Brothers update

When you're right, argue the facts. When you're wrong, argue the law.

WILKES-BARRE – Attorneys for two juvenile treatment centers contend that the kickbacks paid to two former judges were related to favorable rulings they issued in other civil cases, not for the placement of children in the facilities....Marsha Levick, an attorney with the Juvenile Law Center, which filed one of the four suits, said Monday she’s confident the evidence will show that payments made to the judges were directly related to placements in the detention centers, and not some other kickback scheme.
“(You) are not going to make a profit by running a private child care facility if you have empty beds,” Levick said. “The connection between any sort of kickback and Ciavarella’s ability to keep beds filled is inescapable.”

The lawyers for the owner of PA Child Care, Greg Zappala, wants to disqualify attorneys for the Juvenile Law Center because they have been "government informants.”


Levick on Monday called the allegation “laughable.”
“It’s so incredibly stupid I almost don’t want to dignify it with an answer,” Levick said.

Skrep says Petrilla is being investigated by the Feds

TL reporter Jennifer Learn-Andes witnessed a blowup between Luzerne County Democratic Commissioners Greg Skrepnak and Maryanne Petrilla that confirms that they are not exchanging Christmas cards anymore. Petrilla stormed into Skrepenak’s because he was repeating a rumor he says he heard that Petrilla was being investigated by federal authorities. She said she checked with the Feds and is not under investigation and said he should be the one worried about a federal investigation. Hard to argue with that because the Secret Service investigation of the debit card abuse has been completed and sent to the US Attorney plus there is still the question of why Skrep and former Commissioner Todd Vonderheid approved that 20 year lease of the PA Child Care facility. Why Petrilla didn't continue the investigation of it started by Steve Flood when she was Controller is another question.


“See what I put up with?” Skrepenak told the reporter after Petrilla left his office. “How dare she come into my office? I didn’t defame her...I think there’s a lot of animosity on both sides, and I think it’s at the point that it becomes personality not principle,” Skrepenak said. “It is what it is at this point, and it’s unfortunate.” Skrepenak said he and Petrilla have reached the point that they can’t have a productive working relationship. Petrilla said Skrepenak will have to “show up for work” to have a working relationship.
“He works maybe – and I’m really stretching it here – five hours a month."

She threatened to sue him for defamation and Skrep told her to sue him.

Just another day under the dingdome.

Lokuta wants decission tossed

HARRISBURG – Saying it would be “easier to unscramble an egg than to extract untainted testimony” from her misconduct trial, former Luzerne County Judge Ann Lokuta on Monday filed a legal brief urging the state Court of Judicial Discipline to dismiss or reopen her case.

In her brief she blasts the disciplinary court’s chief judge, Richard Sprague, accusing him of a conflict of interest because he was the lawyer for PA Child Care owner Robert Powell. Powell has been named as one of the people that was paying bribes to the Juvie Brothers, former Luzerne County Judges Conahan and Ciavarella. I think she has a good case and at the least she deserves a new hearing.

Take the money and run

Juvie Brother former Judge Mark Ciavarella wants to cash out his contributions to the state pension plan to the tune of $234,000. That would drop his monthly benefit from $6800 to "only" $5,150 until he is sentenced for selling his office to the 2 highest bidders. I wish I could pull in 5 grand a month. His co-conspirator Michael Conahan got that sweet deal last year collecting a $300K lump sum and $8073 a month since January 2008. I'm in the wrong line of work.

The chutzpah of this guy doesn't seem to have any limits. Yesterday he said he can't be sued because he is protected from the civil action by the “doctrine of judicial immunity.” McGruff has an explanation of the legal mumbo jumbo of judicial immunity. He wrote the motion himself and said "Judges of courts of superior or general jurisdiction are not liable to civil actions for their judicial acts, even when such acts are in excess of their jurisdiction, and are alleged to have been done maliciously or corruptly.”
In short he is saying even if I sold kids up the river you can't touch my money. I hope the State Employees’ Retirement System sits on his application for as long as they can.

In addition to the 3 class action lawsuits already filed the Luzerne County Commissioners are looking at joining in the litigation fun to recover some of the cost of the county paid to PA Child Care. “Why not get in line also?” -Steve Urban

Is it just me or does Ciavarella have a uncanny resemblance to Woody Allen?

He is acting like a Cello player in a marching band.

Ciavarella wants his pension

And you thought that the AIG bonuses were outrageous. According to the story in the CV by Dave Janoski former Luzerne County President judge Mark Ciavarella may be able to collect $6800 a month until he is sentenced for taking bribes for sending kids to the PA Child Care facility in Pittston Twp. The other juvie brother Michael Conahan has been pulling in $8073 a month since he retired in January 2008 and was even able to cash out part of his pension ($300,00) before the shit hit the fan. Both have plead guilty in the probe and will serve 87 months in prison if Federal Judge Edwin Kosik agrees to their plea agreement. Kosik could reject the agreement and this could drag out for a long time.

In other juvie brother news Participant 2, multi-party Bob Mericle, has hired some big legal guns to defend himself in 2 of the class action suits. Although he does not face criminal charges, Mericle and his company have much at stake in the civil-rights claims filed by more than 175 former defendants in the county’s juvenile court. The suits seek millions in damages from Mericle, the judges, and other individuals and companies implicated in the federal case on the grounds that the juveniles were wrongly imprisoned and denied legal representation.

Jill Moran resigns

This is Luzerne County Prothonotary Jill Moran last day on the job. . The TL reports she spent yesterday barracaded in her office saying goodbye to colleagues. It may be the most time she spent in the office over the last 7 years because she had other things to do like building houses in Mountaintop that never actually got built.

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She is a law partner of PA Child Care owner Robert Powell who has been paying off the Juvie Brothers to send kids to his private for profit juvenile jail in Pittston Twp. Powell, Moran, Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan are investers/partners in W-Cat Inc . that has defaulted on loans to a bank run by Conahan and Louis DeNaples. There are other investors in the project that are not part of any of illegal activities and they got screwed. She protected Powell by altering an IRS tax lien in the county database to read John Doe. I could go on and on.

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Complaint and Compromise

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She claims that some people allegedly attempted, without Moran’s "full knowledge and consent, to use Moran to facilitate frauds.”

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I don't buy it.

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Deputy Prothonotary Elizabeth Decker will run the office until the winner of the election takes office next January. 2 Republicans and 3 Democrats are running to replace her.

Et tu, Toole

Zen is reporting that another Luzerne County Judge may be in hot water.


The Legal Intelligencer says Federal authorities are looking at Luzerne County Common Pleas Judge Michael Toole in today's edition. I don't have a subscription (yet) but you can read the whole article at Sights on Pennsylvania.

A few days ago the CV revealed that Toole refused to rule on subpoenas issued by then Controller Steve Flood when he was looking into the county contract with PA Child Care in 2005. Toole could have ruled against the subpoenas, but that would have given Flood a chance to appeal to get the subpoenas enforced. Toole was also a guest at the Juvie Brothers Florida condo least once and also ruled on a dispute involving Participant one's, Robert Powell, yacht. Why a PA Judge would be ruling on a dispute in Florida is a good question.

Juvie Brothers update

Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella gave an interview to the UK newspaper the Guardian and claimed the bribes he got from PA Child Care owner Robert Powell and builder of the facility Robert Mericle were "finder's fee" from the private company for help in building the detention centre. He denies sending children to custody in return for kickbacks. "Cash for kids? It never happened. People have jumped to conclusions - I didn't do any of these things." That's a creative use of language. It sounds like a meter was keeping track of the kids he locked up and putting a cash value on them. Not to mention that Judges are not supposed to be in the business of helping anyone build anything financed by the taxpayers.



This thing is calling into question many cases that Ciavarella or Judge Michael Conahan have ever presided over. A reasonable question to ask if they were taking bribes to lock up kids what else was for sale? Conahan vacated a jury verdict in the case of a Tunkhannock physician that found in his favor and awarded the plaintiff $1 million. I didn't know that a Judge could reverse a jury. The Citizen Voice is contending that a $3.5 million defamation verdict issued by suspended Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. in June 2006 against The Scranton Times L.P., a related company called The Times Partner and former Citizens’ Voice reporter Edward Lewis was fixed. I have other examples but you get the idea.