HARRISBURG - Scott J. Binsack must spend six months in jail and undergo mental health treatment after the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole determined the Shamokin man violated parole.
In a ruling announced Friday, PBPP also said Mr. Binsack must report to a community corrections residency for an undetermined amount of time after he completes his "six months back time" on or after May 5.
The parole board held a violation hearing with Mr. Binsack on Dec. 13 at State Correctional Institution-Rockview, Bellefonte, where Mr. Binsack is already incarcerated after being accused of violating parole. The board's two-page decision last week said Mr. Binsack committed three parole violations: leaving the district without permission, changing residence without permission and failing to report as instructed.
Mr. Binsack, a former Clarks Summit homebuilder, became a household name in the Shamokin area in a matter of months starting in August, when he presented a $13 million investment plan to city council. When his criminal history dating to 1999 from New York state and Lackawanna and Monroe counties became public, his involvement in the financial undertaking, which centered on renovation and construction of local homes and businesses, drew the attention of Pennsylvania securities officials.
Mr. Binsack has been involved in real estate related businesses in Shamokin that sought investors. He contended he was acting as a consultant in these endeavors and that his involvement did not constitute a violation.
If he is found in violation, he could be behind bars for those actions until he completes his sentence on his bad check conviction in Lackawanna County, which would keep him in prison until May 2014, with the possibility of additional time. A high-profile homebuilder who did business under Mansions & Estates, Mr. Binsack left behind several unfinished projects and unpaid vendors.
Mr. Binsack is limited in what financial dealings he can partake in as part of his parole from theft and bad check charges in Monroe County. A violation of parole could have sent Mr. Binsack back to prison to serve out his maximum sentence from those offenses, which would have been until May 29, 2014.
In late October, Mr. Binsack failed to show up for a scheduled meeting with a PBPP hearing officer and fled the state. Mr. Binsack, who continued to post taunting messages to law enforcement on the Internet while on the lam, was considered a parole absconder for a month before he was found Nov. 20 by U.S. Marshals in a motel room in Bath, N.Y., a location he called "Narnia" in his online posts.
The fact that he was no longer living in Shamokin, even though he hadn't established another formal address, constituted the change of residence violation, said Leo Dunn, PBPP spokesman.
The parole district to which Mr. Binsack was confined includes Bradford, Centre, Clinton, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties, Mr. Dunn said.
PBPP ordered Mr. Binsack to be evaluated for mental health and participate in any treatment determined appropriate while at Rockview.