Pa. Attorney Was Victim in Juvenile Jail-for-Pay Case, His Lawyer Says
A Pennsylvania lawyer who formerly was a co-owner of juvenile detention facilities implicated in a jail-for-pay case that has brought down two senior judges was a victim of their kickbacks scheme, his lawyer says.
“Bob Powell never solicited a nickel from these judges and really was a victim of their demands,” says attorney Mark Sheppard of his client, Robert J. Powell, the Associated Press reports. “These judges made it very plain to Mr. Powell that he was going to be required to pay certain monies,” Sheppard says.
The two suspended Pennsylvania judges accused of administering the scheme, Mark Ciavarella Jr., 58, a former Luzerne County president judge, and Michael Conahan, 56, a senior judge who still regularly heard cases there, are expected to plead guilty to fraud Thursday in a federal judicial corruption case in which they will each receive a prison term of more than seven years. They are accused of accepting $2.6 million in kickbacks for sending juveniles to specific detention facilities, as detailed in earlier ABAJournal.com posts.
Meanwhile, another Pennsylvania law firm with a similar name to the one in which Powell practices is eager to make clear that it has no connection to him, reports the Times-Leader.
Mark J. Powell, who practices with Christopher T. Powell Jr., James J. Powell III and other lawyers, at Powell Law in Scranton, says his firm has “no relationship whatsoever” to Robert J. Powell, of West Hazleton. Robert J. Powell practices with the Powell Law Group, which is based in Drums, the newspaper recounts.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Luzerne County, Pa., Court Shakeup Expands Exponentially”
Citizens Voice (Jan. 28): “Luzerne judge denies accepting kickbacks for juvenile placement”
Citizens Voice (Jan. 30): “Home Court Advantage?”
MSNBC: “Corruption at the Courthouse: Ciavarella Fires Back”
Times-Leader: “Court to evaluate arbitration”
Times-Leader: “Judges stayed at Conahan condo”
