WILKES-BARRE — In a rare move, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said Monday it would step in to determine whether juvenile offenders in one northeastern Pennsylvania county were improperly sentenced to detention.

Luzerne County President Judge Mark Ciavarella and Senior Judge Michael Conahan were charged in federal court last week with taking kickbacks in return for guaranteeing the placement of juvenile offenders into two privately owned detention facilities.

"The court views this matter with grave concern," Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille said in a statement.

Both judges have agreed to plead guilty to honest services fraud and tax fraud and receive sentences of more than seven years in federal prison. Ciavarella, however, has through his attorney denied sending any child to any facility for money, which may call into question the plea deal.

The state Supreme Court declined to intervene before the charges were filed, but a youth advocacy group, the Juvenile Law Center, filed court papers Friday asking the court to step in.

"In light of the information revealed by the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the expanded petition filed by the Juvenile Law Center, we will exercise our King's Bench and constitutional supervisory powers in this matter," Castille said Monday.

Both judges were removed from the bench last week by the high court.

"We are extremely pleased that the court is stepping in and that they recognized the extreme public importance of the issues that are at stake here," said Marsha Levick, legal director of the Juvenile Law Center.