The LuLac Edition #1477, Feb. 17th, 2011
CIAVARELLA TRIAL
DAY 9
THE WAITING GAME
It was a day of anticipation at the federal Courthouse in Scranton today as the jury deliberated for 8 hours in the corruption trial of Judge Mark Ciavarella. Judge Edwin Kosik came out of his chambers three times to advise the Ciavarella family waiting in the witness room and the media of the panel’s progress. During the deliberations behind closed doors, a few hearty observers roamed the halls. Media members talked to each other and compared notes. They were doing everything but interviewing each other. Defense Attorneys Al Flora and Bill Ruzzo talked with media members. Attorney Flora engaged the press and recounted how he appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court. When asked if he was nervous he said, “You can’t help but be”.
The Ciavarella family alternated between the hallways and Witness room fortifying themselves with coffee from McDonald’s. In the morning Judge Ciavarella paced the hallways in solitude but in the afternoon he engaged in animated conversations with members of the press. Judge Kosik said that the jury had no questions. It should be pointed out that under federal trials, the jury is privy to documentation while in state trials they usually have to ask the Judge a question. Kosik did indicate the jury might have a few questions in the morning. Deliberations resume at 8:30AM tomorrow morning in the Federal Courthouse in Scranton. We’ll be there, in anticipation with everyone else.
LuLac is covering the trial for WYLN TV 35.
posted by David Yonki @ 7:21 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
just heard the verdict, so basically he was found guilty of what he had pleaded guilty to in the plea agreement. 2 years and 10's of thousands of taxpayer dollars later we basically walked around the block.
Wow, just goes to show even with justice the people of NEPA take it in the butt.
Ciavarella verdict makes sense at first glance.
He's found guilty of all tax-related issues, and they found him guilty of "conspiracy", which means they believe he participated in the scam "kids for cash".
However, the not guilty on the charges of bribery and extortion charges makes sense in light of the following:
1. Bob powell had no credibility to begin with, the jury saw this, so there's no way they believed Ciavarella extorted him. Instead the guilty on the charge of conspirancy shows they thought a scam occurred, but that powell and conaham were equal partners in it.
2. The prosecution screwed themselves months ago with mericle's plea which referred to mericle's payment as a finder's fee, not a bibe. it's ridiculous to think that the jury would believe now that it was a "bribe" for ciavarella when the prosecution went out of its way to say it's not a bribe months ago. There's no way one could ever say the evidence was "beyond a reasonable doubt" when the prosecution is changing its story left and right.
Summarily,
the verdict makes sense. the jury says "yes, there were a scam involving powell, conahan, and ciavarella, but all were equal in it; powell was not extorted, but an equal player with ciavarella", and the the prosecution dropped the ball on the "bribery" because they screwed themselves with the mericle plea months ago.
An American Tragedy
That's what today was, an American tragedy. How many citizens rise to the level of judge in America? One fiftieth of one percent? And he blew it, he let his family down, he let the community down, and worst of all, his greed, callousness, and disregard led him to sentence kids to military boot camp for possession of drug paraphenalia; kids like Ed Kenzakoski, son of Kim Fonzo. And he directly contributed to this young man's death when he took his life in June of 2010, haunted and tormented by who knows what from this miscarriage of justice.
An American tragedy Feb 18th, 2011
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