Your support helps us tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to big tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the finances of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word,’ which shines a light on American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know the importance of analyzing the facts of messaging. .
At such a critical moment in American history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to continue sending journalists to tell both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to exclude Americans from our reporting and analysis with a paywall. We believe that quality journalism should be available to everyone, and paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes a difference.
Victims of the couple big corruption schemes in Pennsylvania and Illinois are angry Joe Biden approved pardon perpetrators.
Biden announced on Thursday that he would commute the sentences of 1,500 convicted criminals. The White House officials justified this move by saying that convicts “deserve a second chance”. The move comes after Biden pardoning his sonHunter, who has drawn sharp criticism from both Republicans and some Democrats.
Among those granted pardons are a magistrate judge from Pennsylvania and a crook from Illinois. Neither will be released from prison – both have already been granted early release during the Covid-19 pandemic and placed under house arrest – but they will now be able to roam free without an electronic tracker.
The Biden administration reportedly said CNN that those granted clemency were not handpicked but instead met predetermined criteria for release. Qualifications for listing include good behavior under house arrest.
Conahan’s house arrest is scheduled to end in 2026.
Former Pennsylvania judge Michael Conahan was convicted in 2011 in the infamous “kids for cash” scandal.. The scheme worked like this; Conahan accepted bribes from for-profit detention centers in exchange for sending undeserving juveniles to detention facilities.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court eventually 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, reports the Associated Press.
To be clear, Conahan sent kids to be locked behind bars to get kickbacks from private prison facilities. Some of his victims did not survive the trauma they later suffered.
Sandy Fonzo, whose son Edward Kenzakoski died by suicide after being imprisoned as part of the scheme, said she was “shocked” and “hurt” by Biden’s decision to release the judge.
“Conahan’s actions have destroyed families, including mine, and my son’s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power,” Fonzo told The voice of the citizenslocal news. “This pardon seems like an injustice to all of us who are still suffering. I am currently processing and doing my best to deal with the pain this has brought back.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also criticized the move.
“I feel very strongly that President Biden has completely misunderstood and created a lot of pain here in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” he said Friday during an unrelated news conference.
Scam victims in Illinois were similarly frustrated when they learned that Rita Crundwell, the former Dixon city controller, was walking free.
In 2012, Dixon pleaded guilty to a $54 million embezzlement scheme, believed at the time to be the largest municipal fraud case in US history.
Her house arrest was originally scheduled to last until 2028.
“When I heard the news, I was completely shocked in disbelief, 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.