Opinion ID: 869748
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Ciavarella’s Obstruction of Justice

Text: In 2007, Ciavarella, Conahan, and Powell learned that they were under criminal investigation when they heard that witnesses had received grand jury subpoenas. Ciavarella met with Mericle in November 2007 to let Mericle know that Ciavarella could go to jail if Mericle reported that he had paid Ciavarella a referral fee through Powell. Ciavarella also encouraged Mericle to destroy records. After learning about Mericle‟s testimony before a grand jury, in January 2008, Ciavarella and Conahan met with Powell to coordinate their “stories.” PSR ¶ 45. They instructed Powell to testify that he had never given them any boxes of cash. But by the summer of 2008, Powell had begun cooperating with investigators and wore a recording device during his conversations with Ciavarella and Conahan. In a July 2008 conversation, Ciavarella, Conahan, and Powell discussed how to discredit any testimony by Powell‟s law partner Jill Moran if she reported her delivery of Powell‟s cash to Conahan.