Ciavarella and Conahan plead guilty yesterday, and were released on $1 million bail. The bail was backed by the Florida condominium owned by their wives, which had been used to launder some of the kickbacks.
Under their plea agreements, they agreed to 87-month sentences, and to resign from the bench and the bar. According to the local paper, they'll be able to withdraw their "guilty" pleas if sentenced to more than 87 months. There's no word yet on how much (if anything) they'll be paying in restitution.
The editorial cartoon in today's paper:
Cheers,
Michael