The Case of Judge Ciaverrala and Judge Conahan

Judge Ciaverrala was on the county court of common pleas and Judge Conahan was the president judge, which gave him power of the purse. The two men agreed to meet and according to prosecutors, a plan was hatched that courthouse workers and county officials would later describe as a freight train without breaks. It all started in June of 2000 with a simple business proposition. Robert J. Powell wanted to know how he might get a contract to build a private detention center.