President Joe Biden’s decision to commute the sentence of former Judge Michael Conahan has reignited pain for families affected by Pennsylvania’s “kids-for-cash” scandal. Conahan was convicted for accepting bribes in exchange for sending children to for-profit detention centers.
The scheme, which operated for years, involved jailing minors as young as eight for minor offenses like truancy and jaywalking. Prosecutors revealed that Conahan received $2.8 million in kickbacks, leaving countless families devastated by wrongful detentions.
Mother who lost her son in the "Kids-for-Cash" scheme speaks out after President Biden pardoned one of the men she accuses of k*lling her child.
Sandy Fonzo is famous for berating a judge for accepting kickbacks to send children to for-profit detention facilities.
Biden… pic.twitter.com/jVFXXWKKVn
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 13, 2024
Sandy Fonzo, whose son committed suicide after being placed in detention, spoke out against the commutation. “This decision is another injustice for families who lost so much. Conahan’s actions destroyed lives, and the pain never goes away.”
The scandal led to thousands of convictions being overturned, with many victims struggling with trauma, drug addiction and mental health issues. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) criticized Biden’s move, calling it a “deeply wrong decision” that has reopened wounds for victims.
Biden slammed for commuting sentence of notorious ‘Kids-for-Cash’ judge convicted of imprisoning juveniles for $2.1M kickbacks https://t.co/7HpgWL2Ozu pic.twitter.com/n6hHxAJHU3
— New York Post (@nypost) December 13, 2024
“This wasn’t just corruption,” Shapiro said. “This was abuse of power that left young lives in ruins. Families were torn apart, and some children never recovered. It’s hard to understand how this decision can be justified.”
Biden’s clemency list also included former Illinois comptroller Rita Crundwell, convicted of embezzling over $53 million from her city. Critics argued that such actions send the wrong message to communities still recovering from corruption.
HEARTBREAKING moment Sandy Fonzo confronted a judge who was part of the kids-for-cash scheme where 2 judges were receiving millions of dollars to send kids to for-profit prisons.
Her son ended up committing suicide.
Biden just commuted the sentence of one of the judges.
Can… pic.twitter.com/pkylK7O8sY
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 13, 2024
For the victims of the “kids-for-cash” scandal, Biden’s decision feels like a betrayal of justice, highlighting the long-lasting impact of Conahan’s greed and abuse of power.
