Fury over Biden pardoning “kids-for-money” judge and city coffers embezzler

The victims of a pair of major corruption schemes in Pennsylvania and Illinois are angry that Joe Biden has granted clemency to the perpetrators.

Biden announced Thursday that he would commute the sentences of 1,500 convicted felons. White House officials justified the move by saying the convicts “deserve a second chance.” The move comes on the heels of Biden pardoning his son, Hunter, which drew sharp criticism from both Republicans and some Democrats.

Among those who have been granted clemency are an on-the-take judge from Pennsylvania and a fraudster from Illinois. Neither will be released from prison – they were both already granted early release during the Covid-19 pandemic and placed under house arrest – but now they will be able to walk freely without an electronic tracker.

The Biden administration reportedly told CNN that those granted clemency were not handpicked but instead met a predetermined criteria for release. Qualifications to make the list include having a record of good behavior while under house arrest.

Conahan’s house arrest was set to end in 2026.

President Joe Biden talks about his administration's economic playbook and the future of the US economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington earlier this week
President Joe Biden talks about his administration’s economic playbook and the future of the US economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington earlier this week (AP)

Former Pennsylvania judge Michael Conahan was convicted in 2011 in the infamous “kids-for-money” scandal. The scheme worked like this; Conahan received kickbacks from for-profit detention centers in return for sending undeserving minors to the detention facilities.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ultimately threw out 4,000 juvenile convictions because of the scandal. Conahan and another Luzerne County judge involved in the scheme were also ordered to pay $200 million to victims, It was reported by the Associated Press.

To be clear, Conahan sent children to be locked up behind bars to get kickbacks from private prison facilities. Some of his victims did not survive the trauma they subsequently endured.

Sandy Fonzo, whose son Edward Kenzakoski died by suicide after he was locked up as part of the scheme, said she was “shocked” and “hurt” by Biden’s decision to free the judge.

“Conahan’s actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son’s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power,” Fonzo said Citizens’ Voicea local news media. “This pardon feels like an injustice to all of us who are still suffering. Right now I am processing and doing the best I can to cope with the pain this has brought back.”

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also criticized the move.

“I feel strongly that President Biden got it completely wrong and created a lot of pain here in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” he said Friday during an unrelated news conference.

Fraud victims in Illinois were similarly frustrated when they learned that Rita Crundwell, the former controller of the city of Dixon, was on the loose.

In 2012, Dixon pleaded guilty to embezzling $54 million, which was considered the largest municipal fraud case in U.S. history at the time.

Her house arrest was originally scheduled to last until 2028.

“When I heard the news, I was completely shocked in disbelief, I was outraged and felt a complete sense of betrayal by the federal justice system, the White House and the president,” Dixon City Manager Danny Langloss told CNN on Friday.