Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

The victims in this particular case are the people of Luzerne County. A long time employee of the Recorder of Deeds office was sentenced to house arrest and restitution for stealing more than $51,000 from a cash register over a number of years. That was sentence for Robert Pritchard by Luzerne County President Judge Mark Ciavarella. The standard sentencing range on the charge called for a minimum sentence of six to 14 months of incarceration. Must be nice to have friends in high places. His attorney is Peter Moses, son the well connected John Moses. The Assistant District Attorney William Finnegan had no problem with Ciavarella’s sentence. Luzerne County detective Dan Beky said Pritchard’s cooperation and extreme remorse also made the house arrest acceptable.

Yeah, he's sorry he got caught.

In other news a Nanticoke man was sentenced to one to two years in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for stealing lobster tails. And three chumps were jailed because they fell behind on child support payments.

But the saga of the Recorder of Deeds embezzlement is not over. Carl Salitis has been charged with stealing almost $400,000 over seven years. Investigators say Salitis shortchanged Wilkes-Barre City and the Wilkes-Barre Area School District on transfer taxes and pocketed the money. Salitis is free on $50,000 bail while he awaits a court date. He'll probably get 40 lashes with a wet noodle.

Monty Python explains how the Luzerne County justice system works. Maybe we'll hear a speech like this from Hugo.

A den of thieves?

25-year recorder of deeds office worker suspended

Carl Salitis has been suspended with pay from his job as a union administrative assistant in the Luzerne County Recorder of Deeds Office...Another former employee, Robert Pritchard, faces a felony theft charge for allegedly stealing money from the recorder of deeds office.
County detectives say Pritchard stole more than $50,000 from the office over a seven-year span...An audit showed more than $200,000 had been missing from the office between 1998 and 2005.

It looks like former Avoca Mayor James “Red” O’Brien has a campaign issue in his run against incumbent Recorder of Deeds Mary Dysleski .

Luzerne County scandals

No indictments yet but the buzz says it's just a matter of days. I've lost track of how many investigations are going on in the county.


The latest one is about the theft of funds from the treasurer’s office that DA Jackie Mo handed off to the FBI. I'm sure if someone gets caught with their fingers in the till they will get house arrest just like Robert Pritchard and Carl Salitis.


The more serious probe centers on the tangled web involving Judges Mike Conahan and Mark Ciavarella with PA Child Care owners Robert Powell and would be Hazleton Airport builder Greg Zapalla. Prothonotary Jill Moran also has ties to a company, W-Cat Inc., that they all have money invested in.


Then there is the Debit Card scandal that the Secret Service is investigating and the no bid contracts at the prison that some secret police outfit is supposed to be looking into.


I need a scorecard to keep track of all of this. Will someone help me out?


Luzerne County's greatest hits, so far:

Debit Cards

Sam Hyder

Luzerne County Prison

Bonds

No Bid Contracts

The Latest Outrage in Luzerne County



Did I miss something?


HOME RULE

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit part deux

Only in Luzerne County can someone steal over $100,000 from the taxpayers and be sentenced to house arrest.

Deeds office thief given home arrest

Carl Salitis, a former employee in the Recorder of Deeds office, was sentenced Thursday to nine to 18 months of house arrest plus five years probation for stealing more than $100,000 from the office.


Judge Mark Ciavarella also waived the electronic ankle bracelet and supervision fees so he can use the money he would have to pay for that to put towards restitution. He gave a similar sentence to another thief, Robert Pritchard, in the Recorder of Deeds office.

With over $300,000 missing from the office it's no wonder that he was able to organize such affordable trips to ball games.


If me or you got caught stuffing over a hundred grand of the company's money into our pockets I'm sure we wouldn't be sentenced to watching TV on our couch.

In other news; last month five people were jailed for failure to pay child support.

Luzerne County Recorder of Deeds

Finally some action in this one. Today I spotted a TV ad for challenger Red O'Brien pointing out the theft from the office over the years. It didn't accuse incumbent Republican Mary Dysleski of stealing but took her to task for lax management for allowing it to happen. One of the accused thieves, Robert Pritchard, plead guilty and was sentenced to house arrest. The other, Carl Salitis, is awaiting trial. I'm sure if he cops a plea he will also get ridiculously light sentence. After all, the good ole boys take care of their own.

Shop til you drop

Another crook gets a slap on the wrist.


CV: A tearful former magisterial district judge Karen Holly was sentenced today to two years probation, including 30 days in a federal halfway house, for stealing $6,300 from her employer...Holly will be allowed to work, attend religious services and shop during her 30 days confinement, which won’t begin until at least Jan. 3.


Allowed to shop? This sentence was handed down by a federal judge but it reminds me of the punishment of long time Luzerne County employees Robert Pritchard and Carl Salitis who stole tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars and were sentenced to house arrest by then Judge Mark Ciavarella.

And what about the top dogs at the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority who became aware of the theft but didn't report it to law enforcement?