Another disgraced NY powerbroker is facing sentencing in a political corruption case.
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Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced on Thursday, May 12, 2016, that former New York State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos was sentenced today to five years in prison after having been found guilty by a federal jury of using his official position to obtain more than $300,000 in bribes and extortion payments that were paid to his son, Adam Skelos, in exchange for Dean Skelos’s official acts.
Their lawyers argued for leniency for both men, saying the father was so blinded by his love for his son that he acted too protectively, actions that led a jury to convict them of bribery, extortion and conspiracy previous year.
The indictments, trials and convictions of the Skelos and Silver, brought by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara sent shockwaves through Albany and forced the Senate and Assembly to replace their top leaders previous year.
Silver and Skelos together controlled a $150 billion state budget.
The 27-year-old Skelos was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault. “And while Silver and Skelos deserve their prison sentences, the people of NY deserve better”. In return, Adam Skelos received more than $200,000 in payments and benefits, and Senate Republicans received large donations from Glenwood, one of the state’s most generous political contributors.
Skelos’ son Adam, who was also involved, will get six-and-a-half years in prison.
Susan Lerner, executive director of good-government group Common Cause, says it’s astounding that so far, Cuomo and lawmakers have been unable to agree on any ethics reforms to clean up corruption. He also helped pass income tax rate cuts that reduced taxes for New Yorkers.
Wood allowed both men to remain free on bail pending legal briefs prosecutors and defense lawyers will submit next week.
“Dean and Adam Skelos chose to put the integrity of public office up for sale”. Their arguments will likely focus on the potential effect a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision could have on the Skelos convictions.
“It was hard for me to sit through this case and come face-to-face with the person I was”, Mr. Skelos said.
“Somewhere along the way my judgement became clouded”, Skelos said.
In a tearful apology, the son said he was deeply embarrassed and full of regret and choked up speaking of his father.
When Adam Skelos addressed the court, he did the same as his father had done minutes before: ask for leniency for the other. When a reporter from the Daily News confronted the young man, he grabbed her wrist and took her cell phone out of her hand, before throwing it across the street.
Adam Skelos was sentenced to 6 1/2 years. In a March sentencing memo from the defense, attorneys referred to the pair’s “aberrational conduct that resulted in the conviction”.
Wood said allowing the defendants to avoid prison would not serve the interests of justice. Skelos said the trial “has destroyed my reputation which I worked so hard to earn, and terribly harmed my family which I love so dearly”.
The father and son did not comment as they left court. She predicts that without changes, more lawmakers may have to face consequences.
“I truly believe that NY is a better place because of the leadership Dean Skelos provided”, Gage told the court.
He’s the second NY powerbroker to be sentenced for corruption this month.
It’s the second time in two weeks that a NY lawmaker has been sentenced to prison time on corruption charges.
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Federal prosecutors however, urged Wood to sentence Dean Skelos to a 12½-to-15½-year prison term, and impose a 10-to-12½-year sentence on Adam Skelos.
