Robert Mericle, Misprison of a Felony, Pennsylvania 2014

Scranton, Pennsylvania – In a shocking turn of events, Robert Mericle, a key player in a high-profile judicial corruption case, was sentenced to one year in prison and fined $250,000. The sentence was handed down by Senior District Judge Edwin M. Kosik on May 14, 2014.

The case against Mericle dates back to August 2009, when he was charged with misprison of a felony as part of a then-ongoing investigation into judicial corruption in Luzerne County. Mericle later entered into a plea agreement with the government, which was amended prior to his sentencing.

Mericle’s cooperation with the government was instrumental in bringing former Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark Ciavarella to justice in February 2011. Mericle testified as a principal government witness in Ciavarella’s trial, providing crucial evidence that helped secure the judge’s conviction.

The government recommended a downward departure from the Sentencing Guidelines based on Mericle’s cooperation during the investigation. However, the defense argued for a greater downward departure. In the end, the court ruled in favor of the government, sentencing Mericle to one year in prison.

Mericle was ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on May 14, 2014. The sentence also includes a $250,000 fine, which Mericle must pay as part of his punishment.

The case against Mericle is part of a larger investigation into judicial corruption in Luzerne County. The investigation was led by the trial team of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon A. Zubrod, Michael A. Consiglio, and William S. Houser, as well as agents from the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation offices in Scranton.

United States Attorney Peter Smith stated that the sentence was appropriate in light of the factors considered by the court. ‘Judge Kosik was in the best position to make the appropriate determination, having heard the evidence of the seriousness of the offense during the Ciavarella trial and having the benefit of the sentencing memoranda submitted to him by the government and the defense,’ Smith said.

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