Saturday, January 31, 2009

JUDICIAL CONDUCT BOARD FAILED LUZERNE COUNTY

President Judge Chester Muroski had these words to say yesterday

“I spoke up,” Muroski said. “I spoke up in 2005 and I complained that while I was running my juvenile court, which is a dependency court for abused and neglected children, I could not make placements, I could not provide services and I was $800,000 under budget and delinquency court was $2 million over budget.

“About three days after I sent that letter to the county commissioners, I was reassigned to criminal court and in my view the reassignment was done in order to silence me and further encourage me to, at that point in time, retire.”


During her trial in January, 2008 former Judge Ann Lokuta had these words of testimony.

"Lokuta had already testified that those judges yelled at her, failed to work with her, tried to sway her rulings and took cases away from her. She continued explaining that to the state Court of Judicial Discipline on Monday.

“It was a court which was spiraling out of control and I had absolutely no ability to stop that spiral,” she said."


A day after her testimony this information was published in the Times Leader.

"Newly retired Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan will keep his entire staff at an annual cost of more than $173,000 once he begins working as a senior judge.

Four staff members will be assigned to him on a full-time basis – an arrangement President Judge Mark Ciavarella acknowledged is unique to Conahan. The other three senior judges who hear cases in the county share a staff of five, he said, including two tipstaff, two secretaries and one law clerk. The staffing was approved last week by the county Salary Board on the recommendation of Ciavarella."


During the proceedings of Novemeber 5, 2008 this testimony was noted of Judge Patrick O. Toole.

"One of them, former President Judge Patrick J. Toole, said he is not part of any conspiracy against Lokuta, never tried to sway her ruling in a case and never screamed at her via telephone and demand she always take his calls, as Lokuta has claimed he has done.

“I never attempted, in any way, to influence the outcome of any case she had,” Toole, leaning forward in the witness stand, boomed at Sinatra. “And I resented that (allegation).”

But Toole conceded that he, as president judge, told her to withhold her ruling in a case in order for a trio of judges to discuss the case. Toole admitted he disagreed with Lokuta’s ruling."


This story appeared in the Times Leader May 12, 2008.

"When her 14-year-old son was arrested three years ago, Tracy Stair said she planned to hire an attorney to represent him at his juvenile court hearing, but was stunned by the response of the lawyer she contacted.

“He told me it would be a waste of my time and money,” Stair said. “He would go if I wanted him to, but he wouldn’t be able to speak.”

Stair, 36, of Dorrance Township, said she couldn’t understand why an attorney would say such a thing – until the day she and her son appeared before Luzerne County President Judge Mark Ciavarella in juvenile court.

“We went before the judge and the hearing was over in 90 seconds,” she said. “He asks you a question. You answer it and it’s ‘book ’em. Get him out of here.’ The next thing I knew, he was sent away for three months.


Here is Attorney Al Flora's statement last week.

“Second, the government has not charged a quid pro quo. The government does not allege that Judge Ciavarella received money in exchange for his sending children to the PA Child Care facility and that he led the payers of the money to believe that they would receive less favorable treatment from him, absent payment of the money.

“Third, Judge Ciavarella specifically denies that he sent any child to any juvenile facility because of money that he allegedly received from any person.

Information from the Indictment found on Page 3

"..Abused their positions and violated the fudiciary duty they owed to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to the Judiciary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by secretly deriving more than $2,600,000 in income, in addition to the compensation to which they were lawfully entitled, in exhange for official actions and anticipated official actions. The actions from which they dervived improper income included, but were not limited to, ...directing that juvenile offenderes be lodged at the juvenile detention facilities operated by PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care;"

8 comments:

Big Dan said...

Good stuff. Good blog. Good writing. Good analysis.

Anonymous said...

Excellent coverage. Thank you. Proof of why the braindead 'mainstream' media is finished and bloggers are winning the day.

These so-called 'judges' seem to be just itching to throw innocent children into privatized gulags.

Kids rights are violated and they're falsely imprisoned in camps. Following release, they seem angry, confused, sullen, moody - all the earmarks of the abused. Some take their lives.

Why?

Do we smell a pedophile ring?


Wasn't Kathy O'Brien, in "Tranceformation of America", published in 1995, prophetic?


Paul Vincent Zecchino
Manasota Key, Florida
31 January, 2009

Anonymous said...

PS -

Doesn't the behavior Ciavarella and Conahon define the term, 'Judicial Terrorism'?

Isn't Judicial Terrorism the process by which thugs misuse the Courts and other instruments of state force against the innocent, so as to protect and enrich the guilty?

Isn't the Zecchino Estate Grifters tale eerily similar to Ciavarella's and Conahon's misuse of the court system to procure young boys for unseemly purposes, albeit under the cover of 'juvenile court'?

If this isn't Judicial Terrorism, what is?

Aren't many of us around the country not only long aware of it, but as well alerting others to the ways in which greedy thugs in black dresses and the mobsters for whom they shill think they're going to strip us of our liberty and wealth?

Aren't they ambitious?

Paul Vincent Zecchino
Manasota Key, Florida
31 January, 2009

elmysterio said...

I wonder why no one questioned Judge Conahan about the reduction of the charges of Bryan Kocis in his 2001 sexual abuse case where the defendent plead guilty to sexual abouse of a minor where he filmed himself having sex with a15 year old boy. Then Judge Conahan reduced the charges in 2006 curruption of a minor. The defendent Kocis plead guilty to the charges and was never requiered to register under Megans law. He was also alowed to continue running his porn studio from his home on Midland Avenue. Where he continued to film under age boys doing porngraphic acts for profit.

Steel Turman said...

I am unable to determine the political affiliation of either of these two 'judges'. I assume they are Democrats, hence the fact their political party is not mentioned.

You seem to be in the know - can you tell me?

Front Page News said...

It's Not Just Luzerne County, PA It's Also Delaware County, PA. Want To Know More About The Tainted Judicial Conduct Board, PA? Read And Post The Following Story Written By The Phila. Front Page News,www.frontpagenews.us

What's The Judicial Conduct Board, PA Really Doing With Complaints About Judicial Misconduct?

Independent Members of The Thoughts of Black Men (TBM), who serve as TBM Chapter Leaders based by city in the TBM Administration, offered up a charge against the Judicial Conduct Board (JCB). It was that the PA complaint reviewers of PA judges' wrongdoing are making decisions not based on the evidence of filed complaints. But that those decisions are based on who the judges are before them or what court level they are from or what is their race.

As a result, Dr. Van Stone Downing, Phila. Front Page News and TBM leader, and Teee Coston, TBM Founder and Phila. Front Page News claimed many Philadelphians and residents of Delaware County, PA are being denied access to justice. Also that many members of the TBM are disgruntled and frustrated.

"They know that they are doing wrong; the victim in the court of PA common pleas knows when his and her rights are being abused and the complainant knows when his or her rights are being abused," Dr. Van Stone Downing said. "The judge and the court level, whoever they are, should not be a factor as to if a JCB complaint is dismissed or not by the JCB, PA. It is the evidence and complaints that have been acted upon. The JCB, PA should decide on the basis of the evidence and the law. Also to be considered: the fact that it has been disciplined when lower level court judges have done the same thing that high level court judges have done."

Both Teee Coston and Dr. Van Stone have charged that persons who do not get an opportunity to appeal JCB, PA dismissals and do not get any explanation of why the JCB, PA dismissed a complaint continue to be denied justice.

"Certain members of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas judiciary undermine the state level court and hurt citizens that appear in Media Delaware County Courthouse to the point that citizens can not defend themselves. The JCB, PA just might clearly be a tainted judicial conduct board," said Dr. Stone.

Coston has a very strong view about the JCB, PA. since he feels that this is not fair because the JCB, PA is not a part of the judicial system.

"It is a serious situation because mainly in Delaware County, PA lawyers refuse to go before court of common pleas judges. And this leaves the citizen who is representing himself or herself appearing in the Media, PA court of common pleas in a victimized state," said Dr. Stone.

"A practice has developed in Media, PA Court where common pleas judges feel that they are beyond discipline. You can’t criticize them because the JCB, PA is not a system. And the JCB, PA will not look at a complaint against Media, PA court of common pleas judges because the JCB feel that these justices are beyond scrutiny," says Dr. Stone.

Teee Coston and Dr. Van Stone and a few TBM members are also reminding the JCB, PA that a Legal Commission of some kind can be sought out to conduct its work dealing with complaints against justices and how the JCB, PA is handling them. The TBM leaders hope the government will seek to put in place a system of legal support that will review complaints dismissed by the JCB, PA. For more info about the TBM and if you'd like to become a supporter or member of the TBM group, please contact the TBM at Thethoughtblkmen@aol.com.

Jeffrey Hill said...

The "judicial" Inquiry & Review Board changed its name to the "judicial" Conduct Board when the Cambria County "judge" Joseph O'Kicki scandal broke in the 1980s where O'Kicki openly extorted millions of dollars from litigants in open "court" for over a decade with total impunity. It took a lieutenant governor from Johnstown area (Mark Singel) to bring O'Kicki to justice, and O'Kicki was allowed to flee the country for Slovenia rather than do state prison time (2 to 5 years -- (sentencing judge Griffo) for the 1st set of corruption charges and face additional state prison time for a possible 2nd conviction on more corruption charges ready to go to trial.
The "judicial" Conduct Board and Self-Policing by the Legal Profession are FRAUDS perpetrated on the taxpayers of Pennsylvania. The Self-Policing Lie needs to be abolished. Mandatory Perjury--Violation of Oath with automatic abolition of pension rights and mandatory prison time needs to replace the Self-Policing Lie.
Lycoming County has a serious "judicial" corruption problem. I experienced 25+ years of "judicial" misconduct that included the theft and destruction of public records/court files to criminally obstruct and oppress my appeal rights to prevent any more appellate reversals and remands for new trials (SEE 566 A2d 252-253; 631 A2d 213 WITH 635 A2d 186-191. ALSO SEE 632 A2d 928-930, 643 A2d 704; 668 A2d 1191 WITH 12-10-92 Deliberate Court-Appointed Legal Malpractice Jury Conviction in Lyco. Co. # 89-01504 for starters).
Since reinstating capital punishment in 1978, Pennsylvania has executed 3 (dropped appeals voluntarily) and released 8 death row inmates to freedom (average stay over 18 years) for a minimum error rate of 73%. Pennsylvania operates Kangaroo Kourts.

Anonymous said...

You think Luzerne County is corrupt you should come down to the Middle District of Pennsylvania (Federal Courts) it is worst and no one does a thing about it. Disciplinary Board of Pa is still doing what they have done the passed thirty years covering for their boys/girls and if anyone gets in the way look out you will be disciplined for speaking up. This state is beyond fixable. Just take a look into the backgrounds of these judges in Middle District.