Conduct Board Didn’t Probe Complaints Against Pa. Judge Accused of Kickbacks
The Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board didn’t investigate four complaints made against a judge later accused in a scheme to accept kickbacks in exchange for sending juveniles to a private facility.
The board’s chief counsel, Joseph Massa, said the board did not conduct even a preliminary investigation in the complaints against former Judge Michael Conahan, the Legal Intelligencer reports. Conahan is facing racketeering charges along with the county’s former president judge, Mark Ciavarella Jr., in the kickbacks case.
Massa made the admissions in response to questions from the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice. Massa’s revelations appear to contradict prior statements made by the conduct board in a discipline case against Luzerne County Judge Ann Lokuta, who claimed she was targeted for raising questions about Conahan and Ciavarella. In a September filing in that case, the board said it had investigated two of the Conahan complaints and had forwarded one to the U.S. Attorney’s office. No explanation was given for the contradiction.
Lokuta was removed from the bench based on accusations she mistreated court staffers and lawyers. In January, the Board of Judicial Discipline upheld the earlier findings and refused to allow Lokuta another chance to argue her case.
