Current and former district attorneys to address Pa. kids-for-cash scandal

DAs to address Pennsylvania kids-for-cash scandal

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — A panel investigating the “kids-for-cash” scandal in a northeastern Pennsylvania county is to hear from the current Luzerne County district attorney and her predecessor Tuesday.

The first witness to testify before the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice on Tuesday morning is David Lupas, who’s now a judge and previously served as district attorney in Luzerne County. The second is current District Attorney Jacqueline Musto Carroll. The county’s public defender and a juvenile provation official are also to testify.

Two former judges face federal racketeering charges for allegedly accepting payoffs from two private juvenile detention centers. Last month, the state Supreme Court threw out thousands of juvenile cases, saying none of the young offenders got a fair hearing.

The panel’s job is to investigate the scandal and recommend measures to prevent similar situations.