A devastated mother has condemned President Joe Biden for reducing the lengthy prison term of a corrupt former judge implicated in the infamous kids-for-cash scandal.
Critics argue that the president has marred his legacy by granting clemency to his son Hunter Biden, despite pledging not to intervene when Hunter was found guilty on gun and tax offenses.
Now, Sandy Fonzo has shared her anguish upon learning that a man she holds responsible for her son’s death is being released by Biden, who announced on Thursday the commutation of sentences for nearly 1,500 inmates.
Former Luzerne County, Pennsylvania judge Michael Conahan was sentenced to 17 ½ years in prison in 2011 after being convicted for accepting $2.1 million in bribes to impose excessively harsh sentences on juveniles and directing them to private, profit-driven detention facilities.
Fonzo’s son tragically took his own life following his imprisonment as part of the corrupt scheme. Sandy is known for confronting Conahan’s accomplice, Judge Mark Ciavarella, outside the courthouse in Scranton after Conahan admitted guilt to racketeering charges.
Ciavarella sentenced Fonzo’s son to juvenile detention at the age of 17 for a minor drug paraphernalia offense.
After learning that Conahan’s sentence had been commuted, the mother issued a statement describing her feelings as “deeply painful.”
“I am in shock and I am hurting,” she expressed. “Conahan’s actions shattered families, including ours, and my son’s death serves as a heartbreaking reminder of his misuse of authority.
“This clemency feels like a grave injustice to all of us who continue to endure the aftermath. At this moment, I’m trying to process this and doing my best to manage the pain that has resurfaced.”
Conahan, 72, was placed under home confinement in Florida during the COVID-19 crisis after he claimed he was at “grave risk” of succumbing to the virus while incarcerated.
In announcing the commutations, Biden stated they were granted because the individuals “would face lesser sentences if charged under current laws, policies, and practices.
“These individuals, who were placed on home confinement during the pandemic, have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and demonstrated their deserving of a second opportunity,” he concluded.
