A federal grand jury has handed down a superseding indictment against former Luzerne County Common Pleas Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the federal honest services fraud statute, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Peter J. Smith said the indictment contains 39 counts of criminal charges against Ciavarella. That means the number of charges against the former Luzerne County judge has been reduced from 48 to 39.
