Third Circuit Addresses Appeal of Former Luzerne County Judge Mark A. Ciavarella, Jr.

According to a May 24, 2013 article entitled "Third Circuit Keeps Ciavarella Behind Bars" in The Legal Intelligencer by Saranac Hale Spencer, former Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr.’s appeal of his 28-year sentence for his involvement in the “kids-for-cash” scandal has been almost entirely rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

 

That Court of Appeals found no merit to his challenges other than his argument that one count of honest services mail fraud should have been time-barred. The court vacated that conviction. However, the vacation of that portion of the conviction will have no effect on the amount of time Ciavarella will serve. Rather, it only serves to reduce the amount that he will pay as part of a special assessment.