In the early 2000s, residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania started to notice an alarming trend.

Children were being sent away to jail in high numbers, and for crimes so mild, they might normally result in a grinding.

The FBI began looking at two local judges on the heels of an investigation into the mafia, and when the full picture emerged, it made national headlines.

American Scandal is a podcast from Wondry that takes you deep into the most infamous scandals in American history from presidential lies to environmental disasters and corporate fraud.

Their new season takes you to the criminal kick-back scheme, dubbed Kids for Cash, that would shatter the lives of countless children, and force a heated debate about punishment and America's criminal justice system.

Judges take a sacred oath to uphold the law.

They're considered the stewards of morality and fairness and are entrusted to find justice.

Before the community in Luzern, Cointe, Pennsylvania, their belief in the justice system was shattered in one of the biggest judicial corruption cases in modern history.

You're about to hear a preview of American Scandal.

While you're listening, make sure to follow American Scandal wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also listen, add free on Amazon Music, or the Wondry app.

It's January 30th, 2007, in Northeast, Pennsylvania.

In a hallway outside a juvenile courtroom, Jessica Van Wreath is pacing anxiously, clutching a small piece of paper.

County Courthouse is full of teenagers and their parents, all waiting for their turn in front of a judge.

Some of the kids are engaged in heated arguments with their parents, while others are sitting on benches, completely silent, and looking terrified.

But if there's one thing all these families have in common, it's that no one seems happy to be here.

It's a feeling Jessica Van Wreath can relate to.

Van Wreath is 16 years old, in a junior at a nearby public high school.

She has a reputation for being confident and outspoken, the kind of teenager who isn't afraid to speak her mind, where what she wants to, or argue with people about politics.

Van Wreath knows she can sometimes come off as a bit sharp, but that's only a small part of who she really is.

Van Wreath is a good student with a solid GPA.

And on top of all the academics, she's held a part-time job for the last two years, working as a waitress at a local Italian place.

...