Day 3 - The Ciavarella Trial

Robert "The Slip" Powell takes the stand.

Day three of the Mark "Chiavy" Ciavarella trial started with Robert "The Slip" Powell taking the stand where he testified for about 90 minutes about the mob like doings of Mark "Ciavy" Ciavarella. During his testimony yesterday, Powell detailed how Ciavarella and former Judge Michael Conahan allegedly extorted more than $700,000 from him relating to his operation of the PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care juvenile detention centers. Sounds like they put the squeeze on him for some green backs. Powell also testified that he wrote checks or wired $590,000 in 2004 to the Pinnacle Group of Florida, a dummy corporation set up by the judges. These payments, which were stuffed into FedEx boxes, were delivered by former county Prothonotary Jill Moran and Nick Callen, a former tip staff for Conahan. Moran and Callen will also be testifying. Have you noticed the word former is being used quite often. Moran and Callen were the "money mules" for the crooked judges.

This morning, "The Slip" painted the ex judge and his partner Michael Conahan as "the two most powerful men in Luzerne County." Powell said once the pair got more than $2 million from he and our R2G friend Rob Mericle, "The lion was out of the cage, and I was the bait." By looking at the size of Powell, the pair of crooks would have had a super sized meal. Powell said the Judges would call him into their office and demand money, and he couldn't deny them because they controlled two businesses he ran and could ruin his practice as an attorney. Powell also testified that Ciavy knew how much money he was sifting through the Detention Centers and that he wanted a piece of the action. When Powell debated how much money he was making with his ex judgeship, Ciavarella said "I know how much money you have going in there. You can't bullshit me. I know you have a lease, I don't have to send kids there anymore." Ciavarella was referring to a lease Luzerne County signed for the center after Todd Vonderheid and Greg Skrepenak became commissioners in January 2004.

Powell also testified that he was served with subpoenas at home two days before Thanksgiving in 2007 and that the judges demanded a meeting. They told him to park behind Crestwood High School at night, and when he did, a nondescript, large, older car came up with the two judges. They told him to show them his cell phone and leave it in his vehicle.Robert Powell testified that they (Ciavy and Conahan) "took me for a ride" where they spent 90 minutes driving around Mountain Top. I wonder why they picked Mountain Top? Powell was not tied up in the trunk! They had informed Powell that Mericle had testified before the Grand Jury and "lied through his teeth". No surprise here! They told "The Slip" that they could easily paint Mericle as a liar, and that Prothonotary Jill Moran (not to be confused with Moron), an attorney in Powell's firm who had delivered cash to the judges in FedEx boxes, didn't know what was going on. Powell said the judges told him the plan was to discredit Mericle and Moran.

"They told me, 'We'll take care of Mericle, you take care of Jill'," Powell testified. To me, this sounds like somebody was getting "whacked"! They made "The Slip" an offer he couldn't refuse. I can see Ciavy acting like Marlon Brando in the Godfather right now. This is high powered Cosa Nostra stuff made for movies. Day 4 of testimony is tomorrow. I can't wait to hear what comes up.