California mental health court won’t help homeless, advocates say. ‘This idea is broken’

By Lindsey Holden

About 75 percent of lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 24, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. But the average delay between onset and intervention is 8 to 10 years, meaning people could go years before getting help. By Jim Donaldson

Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a plan to create a civil court system to compel treatment for people suffering from serious untreated mental illness, saying it’s time for the state to “take some damn responsibility to implement our ideals.” Newsom presented his proposal — the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court, or CARE Court — as a way to help unhoused residents with conditions that cause psychosis. The policy is moving through the Legislature in the form of two bills — Assembly Bill 2830 from Assemblyman Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, and Senate Bill 1338 from Sen. Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, and Sen. Thomas Umberg, D-Santa Ana.

The bill is getting push-back from disability rights advocates, who say CARE Court forces treatment on mentally ill people with little regard for their civil rights. They also argue it wastes money that would be better spent on public education, early intervention and programming that doesn’t involve coercion. “We are neglected throughout the whole process, up until the point our condition is so severe that we can’t control it and we start doing things like breaking the law,” said John Vanover, legislative committee chair for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of California. “And at that point, now, the governor wants to step in and make us criminals. So fundamentally, this idea is broken, just from that.”

How would CARE Court work? CARE Court would effectively create a new wing of the civil court system in all 58 of California’s counties that would allow a judge to order a mental “care plan” for those dealing with severe untreated mental illness. The program would apply to everyone who meets the criteria, but Newsom has repeatedly referenced it as a tool to help the homeless population. A person qualifies for CARE Court if they’re at least 18, diagnosed with “schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorder,” are not receiving treatment, and lack “medical decision-making capacity,” according to SB 1338. California was home to nearly 162,000 homeless people in 2020, according to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development data. Nearly 38,000 people from that population — about 23% — were considered “severely mentally ill.”

CARE Court is meant to target the 10,000 to 12,000 people dealing with schizophrenia and psychosis who may qualify for the program, said Jason Elliott, a senior counselor to Newsom. The CARE Court program would enable a host of people — including family members, first responders and behavioral health professionals — to petition the court to create care plans for those who meet the criteria, according to SB 1338. County behavioral health departments would be responsible for carrying out the care plans. Those who don’t comply with their plans could be subject to California’s existing system of involuntary hospital stays and conservatorships.

 

President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan at the Capitol in Sacramento. Mitch Toll Sacramento Bee file

Such programs have been in place since the 1960s, following the state’s shift away from mental health hospitals and toward community-oriented care.

Since California dismantled the hospital system, the state has primarily made use of the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act and Laura’s Law to care for people who suffer from severe mental illnesses. LPS — which then-Gov. Ronald Reagan signed in 1967 — ended the practice of long-term involuntary commitments to mental health institutions. However, it does allow involuntary hospital stays for those deemed a danger to themselves or others. The most well-known of these hospitalizations is the 5150 hold — nicknamed for the section of legal code in which it appears — which requires someone to receive treatment for 72 hours. LPS also created the conservatorship system, through which other people take responsibility for a gravely ill individual’s medical care and personal assets. Laura’s Law, passed in 2002, created an assisted outpatient treatment program that can be court-ordered after a person who’s mentally ill has repeatedly been hospitalized or arrested.  (Click to continue reading)

 

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California mental health court won’t help homeless, advocates say. ‘This idea is broken’

Attorney Kerry Peck: ‘Financial exploitation of older adults is a horrific epidemic’

by: Pete Zimmerman

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to talk about being appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to chair a new commission on elder law. Kerry discusses some of the issues the new commission will tackle and the biggest concerns they need to address. Kerry also answers all of your elder law questions.

 

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Attorney Kerry Peck: ‘Financial exploitation of older adults is a horrific epidemic’

Nigerian National Extradited for Defrauding Elderly Victims and Money Laundering

 Department of Justice 

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Kentucky

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

 

Nigerian National Extradited for Defrauding Elderly Victims and Money Laundering

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A Nigerian national, Adedunmola Gbadegesin, has been extradited to the United States, on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiring to commit money laundering, stemming from the financial exploitation of elderly victims in the United States.           

According to a recently unsealed Court documents, a federal grand jury in Lexington returned an indictment charging Adedunmola Gbadegesin, 33, of Lagos, Nigeria, alongside two others, Olatunbosun Oluwakayode Ajayi, 34, of Atlanta Georgia, and Otunuya Ineh Eqwem Livingstone, 45, of Houston Texas, with conspiracy to commit money laundering.           

The indictment alleges that Gbadegesin and his co-conspirators collaborated to create fake online dating profiles, to post to online dating websites.  As part of the alleged conspiracy, the co-conspirators would engage in online chats, emails, and telephone calls with unwitting victims, who were located in the United States, including one in Lexington.  The indictment alleges that as part of the conspiracy, the co-conspirators would convince the victims to send money to the nonexistent romantic partners or give them access to their financial accounts, so the co-conspirators could initiate money transfers themselves.           

The indictment also alleges that Gbadegesin hired others in the U.S. to receive funds from victims and to launder those funds, so the funds could be returned back to Gbadegesin in Nigeria.  Those United States-based money launderers included Ineh Eqwem, Ajayi, and Ismaila Fafunmi.

Fafunmi pleaded guilty to his role in the money laundering scheme; and in August 2021, he received 51 months in prison.  Ineh Eqwem and Ajayi have also pleaded guilty for their roles in the money laundering scheme; they were sentenced to 24 months and 12 months, respectively.

Gbadgesin was arrested by Nigerian authorities on Sept. 22, 2021, in Lagos, Nigeria at the request of the United States. At the time of his arrest, Gbadgesein had been residing in Lagos, Nigeria.  Nigeria approved his extradition on March 21, 2021, and he was transferred into U.S. custody on April 26, 2022.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the indictment.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the FBI.  The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Dieruf.  The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria, the Nigerian Attorney General’s Office, the Central Authority Unity, and the FBI Louisville Field Office assisted with the extradition of Gbadgesein.

Gbadegesin has his first appearance in Court on May 2, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000.  However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. 

This case is being prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s efforts to identify and prosecute those persons who facilitate elder financial exploitation.

The Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Mission, being carried out through the Kentucky Elder Justice Task Force, is to seek justice for victims of elder financial exploitation.  Anyone that knows someone, who may be a victim of an elder financial exploitation, is encouraged to contact law enforcement.

            Any indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.                                                                                                  

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Nigerian National Extradited for Defrauding Elderly Victims and Money Laundering

Woman arrested for assault and elderly abuse in Merced

by Ishshah Padilla

 

Mug shot of Angela Carrillo, 18, the woman accused of attacking an elderly man in Merced (Photo: MPD)

MERCED, Calif. — A woman was arrested after police say she attacked an elderly man on Tuesday morning in Merced.

Police responded to the area of W. 27th St. and H St. shortly after 9 a.m. When they arrived, they found an elderly man covered in blood with injuries to his head and face.

Detectives say the man was walking along the Bear Greek path when Angela Carrillo, 18, struck the man in the head with a rock and attempted to throw that rock at the victim but missed.

Carrillo, officers say attacked the man for an unknown reason. She was booked into the Merced County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon and elderly abuse.

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Woman arrested for assault and elderly abuse in Merced

Massachusetts mom is honored by her grown kids in picture-perfect portraits

Though Anne Walsh, a mom of four, suffered from Alzheimer's, a touching series of photos captured her with care and kindness

By Deirdre Reilly

1950s-themed senior centers are providing comfort for people with Alzheimer's

One in nine people over the age of 65 have some form of Alzheimer’s, and the disease is only becoming more common, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. There’s no cure for Alzheimer’s, yet some senior daycare centers are using 1950s nostalgia to bring comfort to those who have it.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words — and it can be priceless, actually, if it brings back memories of a loved one's unique spirit and qualities after he or she has left this Earth.

This is what Julie Centrella, a wife, mother of three and small business owner in Reading, Mass., learned when she commissioned portraits of her mother, Anne Walsh, who struggled with dementia in her later years due to Alzheimer’s disease.

"In the beginning, she was good at covering things up, so we didn't really know how bad it was." 

"We had been watching my mother decline, and it was getting worse and worse," Centrella, 52, told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

"In the beginning, she was good at covering things up, so we didn’t really know how bad it was."

Until her symptoms began, Walsh was living a full and productive life.

Anne Walsh emigrated to Boston as a young woman. She married, raised four children and became a grandmother to seven grandchildren.  (Joe Wallace )

Born in 1935 in County Galway, Ireland, into a family that would eventually include 16 children, Anne Walsh emigrated to Boston as a young woman. She married and raised four children, eventually becoming "Nana" to seven grandchildren. She loved fashion and was a very good cook, said Centrella. She was also a person of deep faith. 

Anne Walsh was widowed for the last 25 years of her life. After her Alzheimer's diagnosis, her daughters moved her from the south shore of Massachusetts to the Boston area, so she could be closer to them. 

"My mom’s speech began to be affected, her sentences were jumbled, and it was getting really hard to even carry on a conversation."

Walsh endured Alzheimer’s for 15 years before she passed away on Dec. 8, 2021, at the age of 86.

Today, an estimated 6.2 million Americans ages 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's dementia (though those numbers could be higher). The numbers could rise to 13.8 million people by 2060, according to the National Institutes of Health.

ALZHEIMER'S IS IMPACTING 6.5 MILLION OLDER AMERICANS

The disease progresses at different rates for each person. "My mom’s speech began to be affected, her sentences were jumbled, and it was getting really hard to even carry on a conversation," said Centrella. 

She said that around that time, "a customer told me about Joe Wallace," a Mass.-based photographer whose mission it is to take photos of people with dementia as a way of honoring them and capturing their essence. 

Julie Centrella and her mom, Anne, in one the portraits taken by photographer Joe Wallace, whose goal is to help remove the stigma associated with Alzheimer's.  (Joe Wallace )

Centrella said, "Joe also learns about their background, and who and what they were before their dementia diagnosis." She said that Wallace "feels, as do I, that it’s very hard to talk about dementia." 

Centrella added that often, "people are almost embarrassed by it, or they don’t understand it."

Photographer Wallace strives to capture not the despair, fear, or futility of the disease — but the essence of the person who is suffering through it.

Wallace has enormous sensitivity for those struggling with dementia. Through his moving portrait series, "The Day After Yesterday: Portraits of Dementia," and his website Portraitsofdementia.com, he aims to destigmatize the condition and present the multiple facets of a person who is journeying through it. 

"Alzheimer's can be so difficult for people in the family to handle, because the loved one is still physically present," said Wallace — while many of the person's memories are not. "It's sort of a personal project for me," he added, noting that he strives to capture not the despair, fear, or futility of the disease but the essence of the person suffering through it.

Anne Walsh (second from right) with three of her four children. Photographer Wallace's own grandfather suffered from Alzheimer's. "When I met Julie and her mother and her sisters," he said, "I was blown away by their strength and their ability to use the experience to draw them closer." (Joe Wallace )

The portraits of Anne Walsh are part of his series, which Wallace exhibits at different locations. He also participates in workshops on the topic of dementia.

Wallace’s passion for the subject comes from experience: His own grandfather had Alzheimer’s and his grandmother had vascular dementia. 

"I wanted to share other people’s stories, using empathy as a way to help connect people who might be feeling alone."

He told Fox News Digital, "I wanted to share other people’s stories, using empathy as a way to help connect people who might be feeling alone."

"There are millions [of people] living with different types of dementia, and they still have life left in them and the ability to connect with people they love," Wallace said. "When I met Julie and her mother and her sisters, I was blown away by their strength and their ability to use the experience to draw them closer."

He added, "That’s a more powerful story than just focusing on Anne's decline." 

He has taken over 60 sets of portraits throughout a five-year period, he said. 

Julie Centrella, second from right, with her husband, Pat, and their three children. Centrella named her business Aine's Boutique after her mother's original Irish name (which she changed once she came to this country).  (Julie Centrella)

Centrella and her family, including sisters Evelyn and Eileen and brother, Tim, were thrilled with the way their mom's portraits turned out. 

"They captured her spirit, her expressions. She was still verbal at the time they were taken, but not like she used to be." 

The family displayed Joe Wallace's photos of Anne Walsh at her funeral Mass this past December — as well as on her prayer cards. 

"It was something to hold onto," added Julie Centrella of the portraits. 

She said the family displayed the photos at her mom's funeral Mass this past December, as well as on her prayer cards. "She will live on through these portraits," she said.

Centrella shared the pain of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis for patients' loved ones. "My father passed away from cancer and as bad as that was, the Alzheimer’s is worse," she said. 

Alzheimer's can mean "a lot of small losses along the way … In the end, there’s still the person in there somewhere."

"You become numb to it because you’re losing your loved one by degrees. First, they don’t know who you are, and that’s shocking, and that guts you — and they don’t know who your children are. Then you get over that — and soon the day comes where they can’t really speak or smile at you." 

Julie Centrella and her husband, Pat, of Massachusetts. With her mom's illness top of mind, Centrella decided to organize a fashion show to raise money for Alzheimer's. From 2015-2019, the show raised over $200,000. (Julia Centrella)

Centrella said dementia is "a lot of small losses along the way … In the end," she added, "there’s still the person in there somewhere, and you do get fleeting moments of that, and sometimes you’ll get a smile or a little glimmer of recognition."

Seven years ago, as her mother struggled with the disease, Centrella’s thoughts turned to activism. She decided to put on a local fashion show to raise money, with friends and customers serving as runway models. 

The fashion show, though interrupted by COVID-19 the last few years, "brings the community together while raising awareness about Alzheimer’s."

She has owned her own retail business, an upscale but affordable clothing boutique named Aine’s, in downtown Reading for the last 15 years. She's also developed an online business at AinesBoutique.com. 

"I named the business after my mom, who while growing up in Ireland went by the name Aine," she said. "She changed it to Anne when she moved to America." (Centrella's 18-year-old daughter is named Aine.)

Noting that her first shows were small, raising "around $2,000 per event," she soon got involved with a local Reading charity that was already raising funds for Alzheimer’s, The David K. Johnson Foundation. Today, Centrella serves on its board. 

Julie Centrella is shown during one of the recent fashion shows she hosted — with a Joe Wallace portrait of her mom displayed as well — to raise money for Alzheimer's through The David K. Johnson Foundation. (Julia Centrella)

Working with The DKJ Foundation for the last seven years, Centrella said donations have soared, with the money raised going to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, a nonprofit based in Wellesley, Mass., aimed at accelerating research to bring about a cure for the disease. 

Between 2015 and 2019, the fashion show raised over $200,000.

Centrella noted that her show, although interrupted for the last several years by COVID-19 mandates, "brings the community together while raising awareness about Alzheimer’s."

"The [portraits] convey her love for us, even though she couldn’t really speak anymore when they were taken. It’s been a treasure to have them." 

The co-founder of The DKJ Foundation, Greg Johnson, has his own story of love and loss. His father was diagnosed at age 59 with Alzheimer’s, and after the sudden death of his mother, his whole family had to scramble for care options for his dad.

Johnson appreciates the opportunity to partner with Centrella. Their bond, he told Fox News Digital, comes from "having common ground and then wanting to do something about it." 

He noted that raising awareness is as important as raising money, particularly "making public spaces accessible and welcoming to those with dementia and their caregivers," he said, such as restaurants and other everyday destinations.

"Everyone has something [they’re dealing with], whether it’s dementia or breast cancer. We all have our struggles." 

Centrella said it has been rewarding to have an impact on her community as a small business owner. "I’ve become really close to a lot of my customers, and everyone has something [they’re dealing with], whether it’s dementia or breast cancer. We all have our struggles."

Raising awareness about Alzheimer's is as important as raising money, particularly "making public spaces accessible and welcoming to those with dementia and their caregivers," said Greg Johnson of The DKJ Foundation. (iStock)

Centrella is open to participating in an Alzheimer’s trial in the future. "I would love to be able to," she said. 

"It makes sense, if you have a family history of Alzheimer’s — maybe it is allowing brain scans to be taken, or whatever helps the cause. My mom has five sisters who were also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s," she added.

Centrella said she chooses to focus on the positive, especially all that she has, including the poignant portraits of her mother. 

"They convey her love for us, even though she couldn’t really speak anymore when they were taken," she said. "It’s been a treasure to have them." 

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Massachusetts mom is honored by her grown kids in picture-perfect portraits

Greene County judge sanctioned by Ohio Supreme Court

Credit: Greene County courts

By London Bishop

A Greene County Probate Court judge has been sanctioned by the state Supreme Court for berating a man who publicly questioned whether the judge should recuse himself in cases in which his daughter represents parties.

Judge Thomas O’Diam of Xenia received a six-month stayed suspension related to a series of events in mid-2019 in which he and his daughter spoke harshly to a man in his courtroom.

The Supreme Court of Ohio voted 5–2 to suspend O’Diam. The suspension is stayed on the condition that he commit no further misconduct and complete six hours of judicial education focused on judicial demeanor, civility, and professionalism.

“This was an isolated incident, in an otherwise unblemished legal career spanning more than 36 years, that happened over two and a half years ago,” O’Diam said in a statement Thursday. “I handled a status conference poorly. I did not treat Mr. Buccalo with the patience, dignity, and courtesy he deserved, and for that I am truly sorry.

“I acknowledged my mistake and apologized for it,” O’Diam continued. “It never happened before and has never happened since. I am glad this matter is behind me and I look forward to focusing on the important business of our court, as I have done for the past eight and a half years.”

In a per curiam opinion, the Ohio Supreme Court concluded that Judge O’Diam violated the judicial code that “a judge shall be patient, dignified and courteous to litigants, jurors, witnesses, lawyers ... and others with whom the judge deals with in an official capacity,” and requires that lawyers in their court also conduct themselves the same way.

O’Diam’s daughter, Brittany was handling the estate case of Grant David Buccalo’s mother. Brittany O’Diam has represented clients in her father’s court on 45 occasions over the past seven years without Thomas O’Diam recusing himself. In all of those cases, Brittany O’Diam has filed a waiver of disqualification, a form which all parties sign acknowledging the judge’s potential conflict of interest and agreeing to proceed.

Buccalo then attended a Greene County Commission meeting in 2019 and told commissioners he thought O’Diam “should recuse himself from cases in which ‘family members’ represent parties.”

Buccalo told commissioners: “Justice depends on the appearance as well as the reality of fairness in all things. Otherwise, it erodes public confidence in the legal system.” He went on to tell county commissioners people need to feel that they “got a fair shake” when they leave the courtroom, and that it “wasn’t rigged.” Buccalo did not specifically mention his mother’s estate case or express concern about his own involvement with O’Diam. He also did not inform the commissioners that he had signed a waiver of disqualification.

After learning about those statements to the commissioners, O’Diam set a status conference for Buccalo’s estate case. At this status conference, O’Diam played the recording of Buccalo’s comments at the commission meeting and “interrogated” Buccalo for almost an hour, court documents say. Thomas O’Diam then let Brittany O’Diam question Buccalo without restriction.

Thomas O’Diam told Buccalo he took the comments to county commissioners personally and accused Buccalo of proceeding to “trash” him, according to court documents.

At one point, Buccalo asked for water, which he was denied. His experience at the status conference “had a profound effect on his mental health and his relationship with his family,” court documents state.

The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct had recommended that O’Diam be suspended for six months and be immediately suspended from his judicial office without pay.

Brittany O’Diam also is the subject of a misconduct complaint from the Ohio Supreme Court’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel for the same incident. A hearing in that case is scheduled for May 2.

Justices Sharon Kennedy, Patrick Fischer, Patrick DeWine, Michael Donnelly, and Melody Stewart joined the opinion. Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor and Justice Jennifer Brunner concurred in part with the Court’s opinion but stated they would impose the board’s recommended full suspension without pay.

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Greene County judge sanctioned by Ohio Supreme Court

Employee at group home owned by Diyonne McGraw arrested for abuse of a disabled person

Wanda Denise Thomas

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

Wanda Denise Thomas, 59, an employee of both the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) and Easy Living Group Home, which is owned by Alachua County School Board candidate Diyonne McGraw, was arrested last night and charged with two felony counts of abuse of an elderly or disabled adult.

The arrest report states that a deputy from Alachua County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Easy Living Group Home at 2673 SE 18th Avenue in reference to a DCF investigation. According to the report, the business provides housing for mentally disabled adults, and the victims in this case are vulnerable adults due to intellectual impairments.

The case began with an anonymous report to DCF, alleging abuse to two or more residents in the home, specifically that the victims had been struck with a belt and had bruises on multiple areas of the body. Because Thomas, the suspect, is an administrative assistant at DCF in Alachua County, the investigation of the case was handled by a DCF investigator from Marion County.

The deputy reported that he spoke with a caretaker on site at the group home, and the employee said that the home is owned by Diyonne McGraw and that his direct supervisor is Rodney Johnson. The employee told the deputy that he had noticed bruises on two residents starting around March 11 and that he had documented the injuries with photos.

Interviews with the injured residents were difficult because the residents have difficulty communicating, but both were able to point to the locations of the injuries, even in cases where those injuries had healed. One resident reportedly mentioned “Wanda” and “belt” while lifting his shirt to show where he had been injured. Another resident still had visible injuries, including long, narrow bruises that are “consistent with being hit by a belt.”

Other residents who are high-functioning and better able to communicate stated that they had observed Thomas striking the two residents, one “due to his behavior” and the other “for not listening to instructions given by Wanda and for his random screaming throughout the day.”

Thomas’ supervisor at DCF told the deputy that Thomas had spoken with her about how difficult it could be at times to work at the group home. The report continues, “Wanda stated that she uses a belt to control the unruly residents to which [the supervisor] informed her that she cannot do that. Wanda seemed confused and asked why not before again saying that she does it and that her supervisor is aware that she uses a belt to hit the residents.”

The DCF supervisor also said that Thomas told her she has seen bruises on the residents, and the supervisor reminded her that she is a “mandatory reporter” who is required to report injuries to DCF when they are brought to her attention. The report states, “Wanda advised that she has not reported the injuries in fear of losing her job.”

Thomas’ supervisor at the group home, Rodney Johnson, reportedly told the deputy that he was not aware that Thomas used a belt or physically disciplined the home’s residents.

Thomas has been charged with two counts of abuse of a disabled adult; she has been released from the jail on her own recognizance with the condition that she not return to the group home.

Diyonne McGraw and DCF have not responded to our requests for comments.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

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Employee at group home owned by Diyonne McGraw arrested for abuse of a disabled person

Guardianship bill amended to create task force

A bill that would have provided basic protections for people under a court-appointed guardianship will now, if approved, create a task force to study the issue in-depth.

 

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Guardianship bill amended to create task force

Perry County attorney disbarred after corruption of minors, other charges

by: Avery Van Etten

Judge Michael Schechterly

PERRY COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — After pleading guilty to charges including inappropriate contact with minors last November, Perry County judge and attorney Michael Schechterly was disbarred on April 26 by order of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Schechterly was previously suspended from the Bar of Pennsylvania. He was sentenced in February to at least 60 days and no more than 23 months in prison in connection to charges including corruption of minors, intimidation of witnesses/victim, and obstructing administration or law of other governmental functions.

A Pennsylvania State Police investigation found that Schechterly sexually assaulted a 12-year-old boy in 2012, according to Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

The attorney general also said that Schechterly used his authority as a judge to intimidate a woman who was a witness and an alleged victim in an investigation of sexual misconduct by a state constable and prevented her from coming forward with her allegations.

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Perry County attorney disbarred after corruption of minors, other charges