Sheldon Silver, the former speaker of the New York State Assembly, was found guilty on all seven corruption charges against him.
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Bharara said that with the verdict, “Sheldon Silver got justice, and at long last, so did the people of NY”.
A federal jury convicted Silver on Monday of using the power of his office to earn $5 million illegally after a three-week trial.
Both men resigned their leadership posts after their arrests but continue to work as lawmakers representing Manhattan’s East Side and Long Island, respectively.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Silver’s successor, said, “I am deeply saddened by the events that have taken place this year, culminating with today’s conviction of former Speaker Sheldon Silver”.
Silver faces up to 130 years in prison as he awaits sentencing by a USA judge.
Lawyers for the 71-year-old had argued that he committed no crime.
Silver was one of the three most powerful men in Albany for two decades. The lawyer cited testimony of the doctor and developers who said they either didn’t know about Silver’s cut of the legal fees or didn’t see them as bribes.
The Times Union reports that Silver’s name has already been removed from the door of his office at the Capitol. Jury deliberations have begun in the trial of Silver.
Hours after the verdict, Silver left the courthouse amid a throng of reporters, saying, “I’m disappointed right now”, before leaving in a black auto.
It’s up to Cuomo to call a special election to replace the former speaker.
The complaint says Weitz & Luxenberg credited Silver with referring more than 100 asbestos clients to the firm and paid him more than $3.2 million in fees, in addition to his $120,000 salary. Cuomo on Monday said it is time for the legislature to take corruption seriously.
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, a Republican from Canandaigua, told WXXI News that he hopes this verdict will give further motivation to legislative leaders and the Governor to reform the system.
In the first, prosecutors said he secretly directed $500,000 in state money to Columbia University Dr. Robert Taub’s mesothelioma research. “This is a stinging rebuke to the “Albany business as usual” defense and a clarion call to clean up state ethics”.
In October, Silver said that he would be “vindicated…in this trial”.
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The veteran lawmaker’s arrest in January sent shockwaves through New York’s Capitol.
