RUNNING ON EMPTY

While Luzerne County was running out of money to pay bills and
employees last year, the county probation office spent $13,082 on
two junkets to St. Louis and Harrisburg, according to invoices and checks.

Since December, a county fund shortage has resulted in 54 employee
layoffs, including 17 in probation. The probation office sent six
employees to St. Louis and 10 to Harrisburg for drug-court conferences.

Senior Judge Michael T. Conahan, who was in charge of the county's
drug court, went to the Harrisburg conference. The county paid the
conference bills with a probation account controlled by the
then-President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr.

Ciavarella and Conahan pleaded guilty Thursday to taking $2.6
million in kickbacks for facilitating a scheme to send juveniles to
privately run detention centers.

The drug court junkets were in May and September -- less than a year
after the disclosure that county debit cards secretly financed
junkets to California, New York City, Las Vegas, Southern California
and the Finger Lakes region of New York. Sam Guesto, who failed to
document debit card expenses of almost $42,000 when he was chief
clerk for county commissioners, attended the Harrisburg conference
as a court manager.

"Clearly, these are the kind of things that are unfolding now,"
county Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla said. "It could be
just the beginning of things we are going to see that are
questionable and frivolous."

President Judge Chester B. Muroski, who replaced Ciavarella as
president judge Jan. 30, was asked about the trips to St. Louis and
Harrisburg.

"This is the first time they were brought to my attention," Muroski
said Friday. "It seems excessive. ... No one is going on any trips
unless they are specifically requested, reviewed and determined to
be a necessity."

Muroski said he has asked the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania
Courts to conduct "a complete audit of all accounts" controlled by
the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas. According to a Feb. 6
report from county Treasurer Michael Morreale, more than $3.3
million are in court-controlled accounts.

Larry Saba, who was laid off Wednesday as director of probation
services, signed invoices requesting payments of bills associated
with the drug-court conferences.

"At the time, there wasn't a (funding) problem," Saba said. "I would
anticipate that going forward they will look at the amount of people
going to these conferences."

Asked if he thought it was excessive to send six employees to St.
Louis and 10 to Harrisburg, Saba replied, "Everybody has their opinion."

Slush-fund accusation

The National Association of Drug Court Professionals had a
conference on May 28 to 31 in St. Louis. Records show the county
probation fund provided $9,267 to pay for airfare, registration
fees, hotel costs and meal allowances.

The Pennsylvania Association of Drug Court Professionals had a
conference on Sept. 15 and 16 in Harrisburg. The probation fund
provided $3,815 to pay for hotel costs, registration fees and meal allowances.

"Wow. The county was paying for their salaries from the general
fund, and they were using this fund anyway they deem fit," said
county Commissioner Stephen A. Urban.

Last fall, Urban accused the judicial branch of using the probation
fund as "a slush fund." Paul McGarry, administrative services
director for the judiciary, responded to Urban's charge by noting
that state law puts the funds "under the control of president judge."

Money in the fund comes from fees charged to criminals on probation
and parole. Urban said all money in the fund should immediately
reimburse the county general fund for probation salary costs.

In October and November, Ciavarella authorized the release of $2.2
million to the county general fund as a reimbursement for probation
costs. Last month, Petrilla mocked judicial officials for acting
"like they are giving us a gift" when they help fund county services
with court-generated money.

"... that is the money that belongs to the taxpayers. It doesn't
belong to the courts," Petrilla said.

The 2009 budget allocates almost $19 million for probation with $5.8
million reserved for probation salaries. Throughout 2008, millions
of dollars in the probation fund were rotated in and out of
certificates of deposit, records show.

In 2008, more than $72,000 came from the probation fund to pay rent
for a county annex building in West Hazleton. The building is
primarily used for probation services, deputy sheriffs and a
prothonotary's office employee.

The probation fund provided a total of $4,898 to pay hotel charges
associated with the drug-court junkets to St. Louis and Harrisburg.

Debra Reznick, the drug court executive secretary who was laid off
last week, went on both junkets.

Guesto, the director of specialty courts and alternative sentencing,
and Barbara Nause, the drug court law clerk, went to the Harrisburg
conference. They also were laid off last week.