EDWARD KENZAKOWSKI - 17 yo and hundreds of other children unlawfully sentenced to private prison in kickback scheme - /Convicted: Judge Mark Ciavarella Luzerne County PA

Former PA judge convicted of taking a kickback


Posted: 02/23/11 at 1:00 pm EST

PHILADELPHIA -- A former judge in Pennsylvania has been convicted of taking a $1
million kickback while sending hundreds of children to a private prison
for minor crimes, but that conviction was not enough for one of the
victim's mothers who confronted the judge outside of court.

Sandy Fonzo couldn't hold back when she came face-to-face with the judge - the man she blames for her son's death.

Edward Kenzakowski was only 17-years-old when he was arrested for a minor drug crime, which was his first offense.

Judge Michael Ciavarella sentenced him to six months in a juvenile detention
center. According to legal experts, it was an unusually strict punishment.

He served the time, but his mother said he was never the same after he got out.Years later, Kenzakowski committed suicide.

Prosecutors said Judge Ciavarella was secretly cashing-in as he sent juveniles to
jail. He was allegedly taking kickbacks of nearly $1 million from the company that ran the jail.

When Fonzo saw him after court, she let loose.

The judge was convicted on 12 of 39 counts including racketeering and money laundering. He has to return all the money.

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/national/12003618030585/former-pa-judge-convicted-of-taking-a-kickback/#ixzz1VAH5qJoJ

Penn. judge convicted in 'for profit' scheme also faces lawsuit

February 21, 2011|

By Antoinette Campbell


A Pennsylvania judge recently convicted for putting juveniles into "for
profit" detention centers is being sued, a civil rights attorney said
Monday.

The class-action civil lawsuit was originally filed in
2009. It names several defendents, including Mark Ciavarella, whose
alleged illegal actions date back to 2003, on and off the bench.
The
former Luzerne County judge was found guilty Friday of 12 of 39
racketeering and fraud charges for accepting millions of dollars in
bribes from friends who owned detention centers to which he sent
juveniles.

"I can't say I've ever seen something as bad as kids being
incarcerated for no reason at all," attorney Barry Dyler told CNN
affiliate WBRE-TV in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

The case against Ciavarella made national headlines when a distraught mother lashed out
Friday at the former judge after his conviction.

Sandy Fonzo's 17-year-old son, Edward Kenzakowski, spent six months in a detention
center after Ciavarella sentenced him for possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to Fonzo, her son, who had no prior record, was never able to recover and eventually took his own life.

"He (Ciavarella) killed his spirit," Fonzo told CNN, "He (Ciavarella)
crushed him, and he (Ciavarella) didn't help him." Fonzo said her son
was full of resentment and pent-up anger after being sent to the
detention center.

"He was just never the same," Fonzo said.

She said she came to the courthouse believing Ciavarella would be taken
straight to jail. But when she found out he was going home with his
daughter, she was shocked and angered, and began shouting at Ciavarella.

"Do you remember me?" Fonzo screamed lunging toward Ciavarella, "Do you
remember my son?" she screamed again. "He's gone," she cried, "He shot
himself in the heart, you scumbag!"

Fonzo was then subdued and moved away from Ciavarella.

The class-action suit alleges that Ciavarella and another judge devised a
"material scheme to abuse the juvenile system and deprive allegedly
deliquent children and their parents of clearly established civil rights
for significant personal gain."

The suit alleges RICO violations, civil conspiracy, wrongful imprisonment and violation of due process and civil rights.

It also alleges the activity goes back several years and includes
Ciavarella and his wife, Cynthia, another former judge, Michael Conahan,
and his wife, Barbara.

It names the facilities used by the
judges, their owners and anyone who help build, operate or collected any
money in connection with the "alleged scheme."

Dyller said families whose children had been wrongly imprisoned began reaching out
to him after charges were brought against Ciavarella.

"Thousands of kids appeared before Mark Ciavarella between 2003 and 2008. That's
the time period we're looking at," Dyller told WBRE.

The suit also alleges the defendents "prohibited or discouraged juveniles from having
legal representation during court proceedings," creating the potential
for an increased number of juvenile offenders to be sent to specific
detention facilities.

Ciavarella is free on bond until his sentencing. He could face up to 157 years in prison.
"There is no justice," Fonzo said.

"(Ciavarella) will never receive my sentence," she said. "I have nothing."

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-21/justice

Mother in 'kids for cash' scandal says she got justice

By the CNN Wire Staff
August 15, 2011 5:35 a.m. EDT



Sandy Fonzo says her 17-year-old son, Edward Kenzakowski, killed himself after serving months in detention.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Former juvenile judge Mark Ciavarella was sentenced to 28 years in prison
  
• Sandy Fonzo says her son killed himself after receiving an unjust sentence from Ciavarella
  
• "He was never the same," she says about her son after his detention
  

(CNN)
-- The mother who made national headlines when she confronted a former
Pennsylvania judge, sentenced for a scheme to make millions off unjustly
incarcerating young people, said Sunday she feels that she got justice.

"It's justice in the sense that he is going to pay for what we've been
dealing with for the last eight years," Sandy Fonzo told CNN's Don
Lemon.

"True justice I don't think there could ever be. He'll
never live the sentence that I'll live with for the rest of my life --
can't bring my son back," she said.

Ciavarella sentenced to 28 years

Former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella was sentenced to 28 years in
prison and ordered to pay about $1 million in restitution last week for
his part in the so-called kids for cash scandal.

Ciavarella was found guilty in February of 12 of 39 racketeering and fraud charges for
accepting millions of dollars in bribes from friends who owned detention
centers to which he sent juveniles.

The case made national headlines when Ciavarella was confronted by Fonzo outside a courtroom after his conviction.



Fonzo's 17-year-old son, Edward Kenzakowski, spent months in detention after
Ciavarella sentenced him for possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to Fonzo, her son, who had no prior record, was never able to recover and eventually took his own life.

"He was never the same," she told Lemon. "He went in a young boy, a young,
spirited boy, and came out a pent-up, angry man and it just escalated."

She said in February she came to the courthouse believing Ciavarella would
be taken straight to jail. But when she found out he was going home and
would not be sentenced until later, she was shocked and angered, and
began shouting at Ciavarella.

Fonzo's confrontation was captured by television cameras.

"Do you remember me?" Fonzo screamed lunging toward Ciavarella, "Do you
remember my son?" she screamed again. "He's gone," she cried, "He shot
himself in the heart, you scumbag!"

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-08-14/justice/pennsylvania.judge_1_ciavarella-kids-for-cash-scandal-kids-for-cash-scandal?_s=PM:CRIME

This case is most satisfying. More judges should be called to account for their actions. This is not an isolated case, just the prosecution of the evil judge is isolated.

Usually this type of tyrannical evil monster is allowed to quietly retire and collect a pension funded by taxpayers.

Most cases of crooked judges are simply ignored.