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I am only posting here in brevity between classes, but I just gained a VERY good sense of what is going on here from my Business Law II class, the professor of which was rather good friends with many involved. She said this is just "the tip of the iceberg." Expect me to return around 11 AM or so to fill you in on other details. This will probably be all over CNN, Fox News, ABC News, etc. by the time all is revealed.
So once the parents of these juveniles who were wrongly admitted into the PA Child Care juvenile detention facility in Pittston Township start filing massive law suits against Luzerne County, who will be footing the tab for these settlements? I'm GLAD I'll be moving into Lackawanna County next year!
Paul, I had thought about this too. I know that many parents have heard about the investigation when it started, know of the outcome right now, etc. I don't think that many of them would pursue legal action. If this were the case however, and a large portion of these parents did start a class action suit, it could bankrupt the County.
Then again, you know how class action lawsuits go - many people on board, small payout. Sometimes not enough for some peoples trouble. To some I think it's not about the financial end of it - it's the vindication alone, knowing that they were right all along is what matters.
I am just glad that they are no longer serving on the bench.
What makes me wonder is why these Luzerne County judges are being singled out. I agree with them being indicted, but they are far from the only politicians taking kickbacks, especially in NE PA. I would think the feds would have a field day if they investigated Scranton city hall and Lackawanna County government. But what (or who) is keeping them away? Why do certain politicians get arrested, while others are left alone to continue to rip off the taxpayers to make themselves and their cronies rich?
Those two judges were investigated after the dots were connected between the facility that was opened at the insistance of Ciavarella, Dr. Frank Vita's relationship to Conahan and Vita doing the psych evals, the monies exchanging hands - it was a lengthy and thorough investigation with more to come.
But you are so right, Lackawanna County is equally corrupt. Makes you wonder who is friends with whom and why they haven't been given the once over and shaken out of the tree.
I'm GLAD I'll be moving into Lackawanna County next year!
I would be pretty sure that Lackawanna County is just as corrupt as Luzerne County. I just wonder why Luzerne is being investigated while Lackawanna County, Scranton, and other places have just as much corruption and cronyism going on?
I would be pretty sure that Lackawanna County is just as corrupt as Luzerne County. I just wonder why Luzerne is being investigated while Lackawanna County, Scranton, and other places have just as much corruption and cronyism going on?
When dealing with the FBI they want exact dates, statements, they do in depth interviews, etc. How many people in Lackawanna County or Scranton has actually pursued anything? I am not sure of figures right now.
Sometimes you have to go in with a full presentation slide show, chart, etc for them to open their eyes and say 'hey I think there just 'might' be a problem'.
Comes down to building a case, getting all the facts straight, crossing every 'T' and dotting every 'I' before the FBI will take action. The Attorney Generals office is also a good place to start FWIW.
Here are some additional individuals who may come into play in the coming days as details of these allegations continue to be released:
Rob Mericle: Local Commercial Real Estate Developer
Pittston Township Officials, Namely Zoning
Ann Lokuta: Recently-Disrobed and Disbarred County Judge
Todd Vonderheid: Ex-Luzerne County Commissioner
Greg Skrepenak: Current Luzerne County Commissioner
Tom Dombroski: Anti-Detention Center Advocate
Sam Guesto
Greg Zappala: Partner in PA Child Care
Robert Powell: Partner in PA Child Care
Jill Moran: County Prothonotary, Real Estate Investor Beside Ciavarella
I'm sure many, many more will be added to this list as well, as more details continue to unfold. My primary and utmost concern right now is for all of those juveniles who were sentenced to time at this juvenile detention center so that these two (allegedly) corrupt judges could receive greater kickbacks due to their unreported financial interests in the institution. Luzerne County (and its tax payers) ARE now liable for an incessant barrage of highly-publicized law suits filed on behalf of juveniles by their guardians or filed by ex-juveniles themselves who were dealt too severe a blow by Judge Mark Ciavarella for his own personal gain. How can they "prove" this? Well, juveniles are, to my knowledge, assigned probation officers who will make recommendations to judges in regards to what punishment SHOULD fit their transgressions. From what I've heard, in MANY cases Ciavarella automatically condemned them to this center to help fill space to pad his own pockets even though he was advised against such stiff sentencing.
My parents are planning to relocate out of Luzerne County when they retire, and I'm planning to relocate into more progressive Lackawanna County in 2010 for the very reasons that we're tired of the INCESSANT corruption that occurs here. Go Phillies, you may think Lackawanna County is "just as corrupt" as Luzerne County, but you don't know the half of it. This is literally just the TIP OF THE ICEBERG on what may very well be a national media firestorm when all the puzzle pieces are put together ON TOP OF the debit card scandal, the Frank Crossin scandal, the Carl Zawatski scandal, the prison cafeteria scandal, the Hugo Selenski escape brou-ha-ha, and everything else that has been going on in recent years. Even the acting county controller was just involved in an alleged DUI-oriented accident, and he can NOT be terminated because of an archaic clause that says that a controller is the only one to terminate an "acting controller" (or something stupid like that!) You really can't trust ANYONE employed by Luzerne County anymore. Hell, I was even following a county worker yesterday while driving who threw a CIGARETTE BUTT out of his window (a.k.a. LITTERING). I was tempted to call 911 to report him, but then again I'm tired of being a "tattle tale" all the time just because this county knows nothing but CORRUPTION and AVARICE. I never really realized just how worse off this county was as compared to Lackawanna County until I started the intense demographic number-crunching project that I will be unveiling later this week that shows some very grim news for Luzerne County. You'll all be able to see that as well when I share it with this forum.
Luzerne County officials (or at least Urban and Petrilla, the only two whom I STILL trust!) have a MONUMENTAL task ahead of them---restoring public trust and faith in their county government. I truly don't know how to accomplish this, especially since I'll be at the forefront of opposition to ANY proposed tax increases to help pay for the ensuing litigation or settlements that may arise from this current scandal.
Last edited by SteelCityRising; 01-27-2009 at 09:30 AM..
Reason: Typographical Error, Omission of Statement
Yet the voters keep electing officials because of they did on "da football field" rather than what is between their ears.....
Probable conversation heard on election day in Luzerne County....."I tink I'll vote fer Skrep, I remember da time he had a couple-two-tree sacks against Valley West one Friday night...it was dat night we ate a couple-two-tree trays a' pizza and drank tree pitchers a' Steg down da VF-dubya."
I also just wanted to add that I hope that Rob Mericle falls HARD here as well for what he's done to detrimentally affect the quality-of-life in my hometown of Pittston Township. There's no way anyone can be a primary investor in such a scheme while claiming ignorance of who the other main players are. I can recall challenging Mr. Mericle at one monthly meeting of the Pittston Township Board of Supervisors back when Center Point was still under conditional approval (yes, it took a teenager out of a rapidly-growing community of well-educated professionals to "challenge" a "community pillar"), and I demanded to know what sort of ventures he'd be bringing to Center Point to help retain our township's college-educated individuals and if there would be any link to Wall Street West for those of us who desired to work somewhere doing something BESIDES driving a truck or forklift. Mr. Mericle LIED THROUGH HIS TEETH, assuring me that there would most definitely be higher-end job opportunities in the financial sector and that he was an avid proponent of the Wall Street West movement. A few years later and what do we have to show for it here in Pittston Township? Distribution centers that offer relatively low-paying JOBS (not "careers"), worsening traffic congestion at the intersection of The 315 @ Oak/Keystone, an even MORE dangerous I-81 Exit 175 interchange system (where I've already been the victim of being hit from behind with numerous similar close calls), allegations of employers hiring illegal aliens, and the crown jewel of it all is? (Drum roll please)...the very same juvenile detention center listed in this major scandal. All we need now is that trash-to-energy incinerator to open up, and our township will REALLY be "progressive!"
Mr. Mericle, I have lost all respect for you for letting down the people of Pittston Township. You promised us heaven, and you delivered us HELL. Now we're nothing more than another suburban wasteland, but, hey, you gave plenty of local high school drop outs places to work for $9/hr. to help put more duct tape on their K-Cars! Way to go! Meanwhile those of us with educations are left pounding sand up our derrieres or commuting grievous distances to be compensated commensurate with our skills.
Last edited by SteelCityRising; 01-27-2009 at 09:31 AM..
Reason: Typographical Error
When dealing with the FBI they want exact dates, statements, they do in depth interviews, etc. How many people in Lackawanna County or Scranton has actually pursued anything? I am not sure of figures right now.
Sometimes you have to go in with a full presentation slide show, chart, etc for them to open their eyes and say 'hey I think there just 'might' be a problem'.
Comes down to building a case, getting all the facts straight, crossing every 'T' and dotting every 'I' before the FBI will take action. The Attorney Generals office is also a good place to start FWIW.
Then you have civic-minded people like weluvpa who DO try to build a solid case against a community detriment or nuisance and are "silenced." Did he get too hot-headed at times at the podium and disrupt decorum? Absolutely. However, he DID do his research (I can recall him waving around a zoning book with all sorts of post-it notes hanging out), and yet council largely ignored his pleas for this company to be investigated. Eventually the company relocated to the suburbs in an area away from residential neighborhoods, but weluvpa and his family had to endure prolific STRESS in the interim, and he was even a defendant when the company pursued him for being so vociferous about his personal investigative techniques. In my humble opinion the company must have had at least SOMETHING to hide if they'd let a guy like Dan get to them so deeply that they'd up and MOVE AWAY from him, but I'll keep my own "theories" to myself, lest I, too, be sued!
Too many people locally are merely fearful of coming forward with allegations they may have because First Amendment rights here are trampeled on such a habitual basis. I may even get into hot water in the other thread for blasting Rob Mericle, but so be it. I didn't implicate him in anything the media already didn't involve him in from a legal standpoint, and he honestly hurt me emotionally because as an impressionable teenager I actually believed that he wanted to act as a "Messiah" of sorts to bring family-sustaining and highly-skilled CAREER OPPORTUNITIES to Pittston Township instead of only bringing more flex warehouses to further our status as being amongst the state's incessantly economically-struggling metropolitan areas while selling our township out to be a sprawling wasteland like Cary, NC. It isn't nice to deceive people for personal profit; karma is a b*tch, isn't it?!
Dan gets angry when I call him this, but in many aspects he IS Erin Brockovich, and even though he gets under my skin at times, I still RESPECT him for not backing down from what he believed in. He delved deeply and dug his claws all over the place trying to dig up the dirt on a certain company that was a hindrance to his neighborhood's quality-of-life---a neighborhood where his homestead has stood for about a century---and he made a name for himself in his "David vs. Goliath" battle. If and when, perhaps fifteen or twenty years down the line, I happen to get my little "Strideway" idea off the ground and potentially expand it into a regional chain, I'd LOVE to use that building in Lower Green Ridge as my corporate headquarters, IMPROVING the vitality of the community by bringing in some white-collar jobs in accounting, financial analysis, human resources management, etc., as well as opening a large fitness center on-site that would be used by not only employees but also be open to free usage from neighborhood residents (with valid photo ID anyways). That building was NEVER adequately sited to house a major industrial operation when you can practically spit from the edge of the property and hit the driveways of HOMES across the street. An office operation would be preferable there though.
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I can recall challenging Mr. Mericle at one monthly meeting of the Pittston Township Board of Supervisors back when Center Point was still under conditional approval (yes, it took a teenager out of a rapidly-growing community of well-educated professionals to "challenge" a "community pillar"), and I demanded to know what sort of ventures he'd be bringing to Center Point to help retain our township's college-educated individuals and if there would be any link to Wall Street West for those of us who desired to work somewhere doing something BESIDES driving a truck or forklift. Mr. Mericle LIED THROUGH HIS TEETH, assuring me that there would most definitely be higher-end job opportunities in the financial sector and that he was an avid proponent of the Wall Street West movement. A few years later and what do we have to show for it here in Pittston Township? Distribution centers that offer relatively low-paying JOBS (not "careers"), worsening traffic congestion at the intersection of The 315 @ Oak/Keystone, an even MORE dangerous I-81 Exit 175 interchange system (where I've already been the victim of being hit from behind with numerous similar close calls), allegations of employers hiring illegal aliens, and the crown jewel of it all is? (Drum roll please)...the very same juvenile detention center listed in this major scandal. All we need now is that trash-to-energy incinerator to open up, and our township will REALLY be "progressive!" 
It isn't nice to deceive people for personal profit; karma is a b*tch, isn't it?! 
