According to reports, Silver must report to prison by July 1. The third man, Republican former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (SKEH’-lohs), faces sentencing later this month on his own corruption conviction.
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Former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison for pocketing about $4 million in kickbacks from a cancer researcher and real estate developers.
Fellow Assemblyman Ray Walter (R, C, I-Amherst) issued a written statement shortly after Silver’s sentence.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan told Patch Tuesday that while Silver’s lawyers have requested he be sent to the Otisville Correctional Facility in upstate NY – a popular destination for Orthodox Jewish criminals like Silver – his request has not yet been approved.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Cohen said Tuesday that Silver had been protected for years by systems he put in place to cover up his crimes, including measures to restrict disclosures of outside income.
Justifying the steep sentence, Judge Valerie Caproni said that, “Silver’s corrupt actions cast a shadow over everything he has done and has thrown into doubt any hard decision any legislator has made”.
Prosecutors were able to portray the referral fees as a quid pro quo because the doctor who sent his mesothelioma patients to Silver’s law firm received state grants totaling $500,000 from Silver years ago. “I’m truly, truly sorry”, he said.
The 72-year-old was convicted on federal corruption charges last November.
“I am not going to impose a guidelines sentence in this case”, Caproni said, explaining it would be “draconian and unjust” given his age.
Silver’s lawyers had urged leniency, saying that a sentence of community service while under house arrest would allow Silver to use what they called his unique talents for helping others.
Silver’s lawyer said their team will appeal the sentence.
“I have failed the people of New York”, Silver wrote.
The sentencing comes as a new poll out this morning finds 93 percent of New Yorkers believe corruption in Albany is a serious problem. There is no question about it.
Silver’s letter accompanied a glut of other letters of support from former constituents and prominent business, political, and nonprofit figures.
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Silver will be one of two former leaders of the state Legislature to be sentenced this month. He was arrested January 22, 2015, and submitted his resignation as speaker eight days later.
