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What’s Up, NEPA?/Good Eats!

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Judge Joseph F. Saporito Jr. Receives highest award from Luzerne County attorneys, judges

<p>A man who was featured in the &#8220;Kids for Cash&#8221; movie about the juvenile justice scandal involving two disgraced Luzerne County judges faces charges that he allegedly hacked the emails of former Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton three years ago and tried to sell them.</p><p>A federal grand jury in U.S. District Court, Scranton, handed up an indictment Tuesday against Justin Bodnar, 27, of Wilkes-Barre for allegedly &#8220;intentionally accessing protected computers without authorization.&#8221;</p><p>Bodnar, according to his Facebook page, studies computer science at an area college.</p><p>In addition to Leighton&#8217;s email, Bodnar in 2012 allegedly hacked the computers of his former employer &#8211; identified in the indictment only as &#8220;M.S.&#8221; and &#8220;C.S.&#8221; &#8211; and damaged them. </p><p>Leighton did not immediately return a phone message left Wednesday morning.</p><p>The Times Leader in 2014 reported that Forty Fort resident Mark Robbins said he helped in an FBI sting involving Leighton&#8217;s hacked emails. Robbins, operator of a blog called &#8220;WB Truth,&#8221; said he was contacted by someone in 2013 and given hacked emails. Robbins said he informed Leighton, former Wilkes-Barre Police Chief Gerard Dessoye and the FBI, who told him to keep in contact with the hacker.</p><p>The hacker, whose identity was unknown at the time, arranged to place a disk containing the emails under a railroad trestle in South Wilkes-Barre for pick up, Robbins said. A friend of Robbins, Frank Sorick, retrieved the disk, and the emails were forwarded to the FBI, Robbins said.</p><p>Weeks later, in January 2014, the FBI set up a sting and equipped Robbins with a recording device and $500 to purchase additional emails from the hacker, Robbins said. The FBI photocopied the bills, and Robbins agreed to meet the hacker at a fast-food restaurant on the Sans Souci Parkway in Hanover Township, Robbins said.</p><p>The hacker sent an email describing the clothing he would be wearing so Robbins could recognize him, Robbins said. When they met, Robbins said, the hacker identified himself as one of the juveniles in the &#8220;Kids for Cash&#8221; movie.</p><p>The 2014 movie told the story of area juveniles who were incarcerated as part of the scandal involving former judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan. Both men are serving lengthy federal prison sentences for their involvement in a more than $2 million kickback scheme involving the construction of two, for-profit juvenile detention centers and the placement of youths in the facilities, located in Pittston Township and Butler County.</p><p>The hacker, an adult at the time of the meeting, said he learned his skills while in juvenile detention, Robbins said. Robbins paid the man for the disk, and they walked outside the restaurant where Robbins said he watched several FBI agents approach and stop the hacker.</p><p>When contacted Wednesday, Robbins said that after the sting he told the FBI that he &#8220;felt horrible&#8221; about what had just happened and told them: &#8220;Please go easy on him. He&#8217;s a good kid.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Compared to what&#8217;s been going on, to go after this small fish in a corrupt cesspool is ridiculous,&#8221; Robbins said of the indictment.</p><p>Robbins described Leighton&#8217;s emails as &#8220;personal chit-chat, nothing that would make him look bad.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Even though I didn&#8217;t like Leighton, it was the right thing to do,&#8221; Robbins said. &#8220;We have to play by the rules.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Former WB mayor victimized, indictment says</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre man, featured in ‘Kids for Cash’ movie, indicted for allegedly hacking emails of former Mayor Leighton