The 72-year-old Manhattan Democrat will get a chance to speak before U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni on Tuesday prior to his sentencing. “And I’m truly, truly sorry for that”.
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Minutes later, he appeared to have no reaction when Caproni announced the sentence.
Another Silver attorney Joel Cohen, added, “Whatever leniency we have from you, your honor, he has already been crushed”.
Upon his conviction, he forfeited his Assembly seat.
Among other issues, prosecutors said Silver, then a practicing attorney, received $3.7 million in law firm referral fees as a quid pro quo for exerting his influence as a top Democratic lawmaker.
Even as members of the New York State Assembly debated legislation on domestic abuse and criminalizing bass fishing in the Hudson River, the sentencing of their former leader – Sheldon Silver – didn’t escape their notice.
It reads: “With the 12 year sentence handed down to Sheldon Silver today, we are reminded of how sorely ethics reform is needed in Albany”.
Dick Dadey, with the reform group Citizens Union, who waited outside the court room to hear the sentence, says it’s a fair punishment.
Once a powerful broker in NY politics, Silver asked the judge for leniency citing his age and recent cancer diagnosis.
Horner was referring to Siena Poll out Tuesday that found 97 percent of New Yorkers said the Legislature should pass ethics reforms before the session ends in June.
Sheldon’s lawyers argued in a pre-sentence submission that “the people of this state did not tangibly suffer from any of the official acts Mr”. He also acknowledged that he “failed” the people of NY and hurt his constituents “terribly”. Other than my family, serving my constituents was the most important thing to me.
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United States Attorney Preet Bharara, who brought the case, tweeted the “stiff sentence is a just and fitting end to Sheldon Silver’s long career of corruption”. She called Silver an unusually gifted politician who “went beyond the call of duty” for his constituents. “This sounds like a win for taxpayers in theory, but what it means is that instead of NY keeping the money, the federal government will divert the payments, presumably to the Department of Justice’s Assets Forfeiture Fund and the Department of Treasury Forfeiture Fund, to be used for what the U.S. Attorney’s Office describes as “[restoring] money to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes”.
