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News Summary
January 22 – February 4, 2011
July 31, 2009: Kosik rejects the plea agreements after finding that the agreed upon 87-month
sentences would have been too lenient given Conahan and Ciavarella's alleged wrongdoing.
Kosik, in a five-page memorandum rejecting the deals, denounces Ciavarella for "self-serving"
public statements denying some of the allegations against him.
Aug. 24, 2009: Conahan and Ciavarella withdraw their guilty pleas.
Sept. 2, 2009: The developer of the for-profit detention centers, real estate magnate Robert K.
Mericle, pleads guilty to failing to report a felony. Mericle, a key potential prosecution witness, paid
$2.1 million of the kickbacks, according to federal prosecutors. He faces up to three years in
prison, but could receive probation under a plea agreement predicated on his cooperation and the
donation of $2.1 million to local programs promoting the health and welfare of children.
Sept. 9, 2009: A federal grand jury indicts Conahan and Ciavarella on 48 counts, including
racketeering, bribery, extortion, conspiracy and money laundering.
Sept. 15, 2009: Conahan and Ciavarella plead not guilty.
March 1, 2010: Attorneys for Conahan and Ciavarella file more than 40 pretrial motions, alleging
prosecutorial misconduct and seeking dismissal of the charges, a change of venue and Kosik's
removal from the case.
March 16, 2010: The attorneys expand on their change of venue request, asking Kosik to move the
trial to Delaware after a defense consultant's telephone poll finds extensive bias against Conahan
and Ciavarella in the federal court district covering Northeastern Pennsylvania.
April 29, 2010: Conahan signs a new plea agreement. Ciavarella is undeterred. His attorneys say
he is preparing for trial.
May 27, 2010: The Interbranch Commission issues a scathing 66-page report laying blame for the
scandal on Conahan and Ciavarella, passive prosecutors, inattentive pubic defenders and Luzerne
County's long history of "conflict and corruption."
July 6, 2010: Kosik refuses to remove himself from Ciavarella's trial despite arguments from
defense attorneys that his out-of-court statements, reported by The Citizens' Voice, would make it
impossible for him to be impartial. Kosik also rejects moving the trial to Delaware and allegations of
prosecutorial misconduct.
July 23, 2010: Conahan, deeply tanned and wearing a lightweight, beige summer suit, pleads
guilty to a racketeering charge. He faces a maximum 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Aug. 5, 2010: At a closed-door meeting, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon A. Zubrod tells Kosik and
Ciavarella's attorneys that Conahan is willing to testify against Ciavarella. The same day, Kosik
announces Ciavarella's trial will begin Feb. 7.
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