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 crime so mild they might normally result in a grounding.

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 lives to environmental disasters and corporate fraud.

Their new season takes you to the criminal kickback scheme dubbed Kids For Cash,

that would shatter the lives of countless children and force a heated debate about punishment in 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.

But for the community in Luzern County, 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, follow American scandal wherever you get your podcasts.

You can listen ad 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 Rieeth 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 Rieeth can relate to. Van Rieeth 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 Rieeth knows she can sometimes come off as a bit sharp, but that's only a small part of who she really is.

Van Rieeth 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.

All in all, Van Rieeth sees herself as a pretty normal teenager, which is why this whole experience has been so stupifying.

In a few minutes Van Rieeth has to defend herself against criminal charges. It all started a few months ago, when she was caught by her vice principal holding a lighter and a pipe used to smoke weed.

When the vice principal caught her, Van Rieeth didn't know what to say. The pipe and lighter belonged to her friend, but she didn't want to get them in trouble.

...