The prosecutors in former Luzerne County Judge Ann H. Lokuta's misconduct case committed a "shocking fraud" by failing to disclose that a key witness against her, former Judge Michael T. Conahan, was the target of a misconduct complaint and a criminal investigation, Lokuta's attorneys said in court papers Friday.The Judicial Conduct Board, the state agency that investigates and prosecutes charges of judicial misconduct, knew of the allegations against Conahan more than a year before he testified, but never shared the information with her attorneys or a state discipline court, the attorneys said.
The board's prosecutors - Joseph A. Massa Jr. and Frank Puskas - kept the complaint and criminal investigation secret even as Conahan emerged as a "star witness" at Lokuta's misconduct hearing in January 2008, her attorneys said.
Massa and Puskas' handling of the complaint "raises serious questions" about their ethical standards, demonstrates a "lack of candor" to the discipline court, and "calls the integrity of their case into irremediable doubt," Lokuta's attorneys said.
They asked a state discipline court Friday to forego its ongoing deliberations, dismiss Lokuta's misconduct charges and return her to the bench immediately.
Full Article and Source:
Lokuta Says Conduct Board Kept Conahan Allegations Under Wraps
More Information:
Read Lokuta's Filing
See Also:
Wave of Hope for Lokuta
7 comments:
I assumed that if Conahan was a witness against Lokuta in a discipline matter, it was a personal vendetta, as soon as I learned about his own criminal problems.
She's coming out with the big guns now! Good going!
"Massa and Puskas' handling of the complaint "raises serious questions" about their ethical standards,"
ETHICAL STANDARDS? You gotta be kidding me! They need to be punished without mercy.
Cover up, conspiracy to get rid of Lokuta. I hope her case exposes what is going on with these smokescreen agencies responsible for investigating complaints needs to be torn down with real people, citizens in their places.
Keep coming at them, Lokuta. You're gaining ground all the time!
I bet it eats Conahan up to see Lokuta gain more support and continue to expose him.
I love it!
Shocking fraud is right. They knew Conahan was under investigation and yet accepted his testimony???
I believe someone needs to get out some disinfectant and clean up the Judicial Conduct Board.
Now the truth will out!
The discipline board should be replaced by real people.
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