Kids-for-Cash: One of Joe Biden's Clemency Recipients Is Disgraced

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Yesterday, President Biden granted clemency to some 1,500 individuals and pardoned about 40 others. While clemency is different than a pardon — the conviction still stands and it only reduces the criminal sentence — there is at least one that’s got people very unhappy:

Meet some of the beneficiaries of President Biden’s mercy. Unless you live near Wilkes-Barre, Pa., you’ve probably never heard of the ‘Kids-For-Cash Scandal.’

This judge took more than $2 million bribes to send kids to for-profit juvenile prisons with sentences disproportionate… pic.twitter.com/sdFlaI8Xad

— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) December 13, 2024

The New York Post also reported on the story.

Biden slammed for commuting sentence of notorious ‘Kids-for-Cash’ judge convicted of imprisoning juveniles for $2.1M kickbacks https://t.co/7HpgWL2Ozu pic.twitter.com/n6hHxAJHU3

— New York Post (@nypost) December 13, 2024

More from The New York Post:

The corrupt former Pennsylvania judge convicted of funneling juveniles to for-profit detention facilities in exchange for $2.1 million in kickbacks had his lengthy prison sentence commuted Thursday by President Biden.

Former Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan, the jurist at the center of the so-called ‘Kids-for-Cash’ scandal, was among 1,499 commutations the 82-year-old lame-duck president granted in the largest presidential act of clemency on a single day in modern history, according to the White House.

The mother of a victim of Conahan’s disturbing crime fumed upon hearing of his commutation.

‘I am shocked and I am hurt,’ Sandy Fonzo, whose son committed suicide after he was locked up as part of the scheme orchestrated by Conahan and former judge Mark Ciavarella, said in a statement.

“I am shocked and I am hurt. Conahan’s actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son’s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power. This pardon feels like an injustice for all of us who still suffer.”

Seems like a great guy. pic.twitter.com/MQhUXaJrcn

— Misha Turtle Island TV: X Society Xperience 🐢🐰𝕏 (@MishaTurtleX) December 13, 2024

A real peach.

This happened in luzerne, Pa, kids-for-cash scandal, Mark Ciavarella and another judge, Michael Conahan, shut down a county-run juvenile detention center and accepted $2.8 million in illegal payments from the builder and co-owner of two for-profit lockups. https://t.co/yBByHqrKll

— LS Knip (@KnipLs) December 13, 2024

Insane.

What’s that? The author of the crime bills that put (mostly Black and Latino) men in jail for drugs while his crackhead son was pardoned also backs corrupt judges?

I’m shocked. 😮 🙄

— Dumisani Washington (@DumisaniTemsgen) December 13, 2024

Not shocked.

Here’s a video of what he did:

inexcusable pic.twitter.com/Ffys9kYMTI

— Cristian (@cristianmoreno) December 13, 2024

That poor mother.

I watched a show about this, it was heartbreaking! This judge was locking kids, as young as 8, up and for the most minor of offenses. SO HE COULD GET PAID! The parents would be blind sided in the courtroom as they led their child away. One child killed himself 😪

— Americanism not globalism🇺🇸 (@Trumpfan81) December 13, 2024

And Joe Biden reduced his sentence.

He was never a good or decent man…. https://t.co/f1JXqd1wxN

— EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) December 13, 2024

No he was not.

This is messed up https://t.co/UhA3CekTIz

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 13, 2024

Very messed up.

An old, corrupt Democrat from Scranton is probably enough to get a pardon from Good Ol’ Joe, but I rather imagine there’s even more to it than that. https://t.co/QJIRklE80t

— (((Not That Crown, Maybe))) (@CrownMaybe) December 13, 2024

Probably.