Politics

Now Biden Is Slammed for Pardoning Kids-for-Cash Scandal Judge

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A grieving mother said Biden’s decision was deeply painful for her.

Joe Biden is facing criticism over his decision to commute sentences for nearly 1500 prisoners.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A heartbroken mother has blasted President Joe Biden for commuting the lengthy prison sentence of a corrupt former judge jailed in the notorious kids-for-cash scandal.

Critics have claimed the president tainted his legacy by pardoning his son Hunter Biden after insisting he wouldn’t intervene when he was convicted on gun and tax charges.

Now Sandy Fonzo has spoken out about her pain on hearing that a man she blamed for her son’s death is being freed by Biden, who announced on Thursday that he is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 inmates.

Former Luzerne County, Pennsylvania judge Michael Conahan was jailed for 17 ½ years in 2011 after he was convicted of being paid $2.1 million in bribes for giving juveniles disproportionately long sentences and funneling them to private, for-profit detention centers.

Fonzo’s son killed himself after he was imprisoned as part of the kickback scheme. Sandy famously confronted Conahan’s co-conspirator Judge Mark Ciavarella outside court in Scranton after Conahan pleaded guilty to racketeering charges.

Ciavarella placed Fonzo’s son in juvenile detention at age 17 for a minor drug paraphernalia charge.

The mother released a statement after hearing his sentence was being shelved, saying it was “deeply painful.”

“I am shocked and I am hurt,” she continued. “Conahan‘s actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son‘s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power.

“This pardon feels like an injustice for all of us who still suffer. Right now I am processing and doing the best I can to cope with the pain that this has brought back.”

Conahan, 72, was released to home confinement in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic after complaining he was in “grave danger” of dying from the virus behind bars.

Announcing the commutations, Biden said they were granted because the defendants “would receive lower sentences if charged under today’s laws, policies, and practices.

“These commutation recipients, who were placed on home confinement during the COVID pandemic, have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance,” he added.

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