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Conahan, 71, was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison in 2011 after pleading guilty to his role in a scheme where he and fellow Judge Mark Ciavarella accepted $2.6 million in kickbacks for sending juveniles to privately run detention centers.
The case, widely known as the "Kids for Cash" scandal, involved hundreds of children, many of whom were sentenced for minor offenses without legal representation. Conahan and Ciavarella were later ordered to pay $200 million in damages to victims after a federal judge found the pair liable in a civil lawsuit, as previously reported by Daily Voice.
President Biden commuted Conahan's sentence to time served, the White House said on Thursday, Dec. 12. This decision means Conahan will be released after serving 13 years of his sentence. The clemency was granted as part of a larger initiative to reduce sentences for older inmates with good behavior records, the White House detailed.
Conahan's co-conspirator, Ciavarella, remains imprisoned, serving a 28-year sentence for his more significant role in the scandal.
The "Kids for Cash" case led to widespread outrage and reform in Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system. Victims, some as young as 12, were sentenced to excessive terms for minor infractions, such as petty theft or school fights. Families were often unaware their children were denied legal representation.
Both judges were disbarred following their convictions, and the scandal has been cited as one of the most egregious examples of judicial misconduct in U.S. history.
Conahan, who had been incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Miami, Florida, has not issued a public statement on the clemency.
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