SCRANTON, Pa., Aug. 12 (UPI) -- An ex-Pennsylvania judge has been sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for taking nearly $1 million in bribes to send juveniles to private detention centers.
Mark Ciavarella, 61, who was sentenced Thursday, was convicted on 12 racketeering and related counts in February in federal court in Scranton, The Christian Science Monitor reported.
Ciavarella and another judge, Michael Conahan, received a total of $2.8 million in bribes to close down Luzerne County's juvenile detention center and refer juvenile defenders from their courts to privately run facilities.
In court, Ciavarella, who also is to pay nearly $1.2 million in restitution, apologized to the community, saying "I blame no one but myself for what happened," The (Wilkes Barre) Times Leader reported.
Conahan pleaded guilty to a single count of racketeering last year and is awaiting sentencing.
