© 2024 WSHU
NPR News & Classical Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
We received reports that some iPhone users with the latest version of iOS (v17.4) cannot play audio via the Grove Persistent Player.
While we work to fix the issue, we recommend downloading the WSHU app.

Former NYS Assembly Speaker Silver Sentenced To 7 Years

Mary Altaffer
/
AP
Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, enter, leaves federal court in New York after his sentencing Friday.

The former speaker of the New York State Assembly, Sheldon Silver, was sentenced to seven years in prison Friday, after being convicted for a second time on federal corruption charges.

Silver was found guilty earlier this year of using the power of his office to illegally gain over $4 million in kickbacks and bribes.

Silver, from Manhattan’s Lower East Side, was the second-longest tenured assembly speaker in state history, and wielded vast influence and power, before having to resign when he was indicted in 2015.

The judge rejected a request from Silver’s attorneys that, instead of jail time, he should serve on a helpdesk for New Yorkers trying to navigate the state’s complex bureaucracy.

The sentencing comes just one week after another former majority party legislative leader, former Senator Dean Skelos, was found guilty of using his influence to secure no show jobs for his son. Skelo’ son, Adam, was also convicted. Skelos will be sentenced in late October.

And it’s been just over two weeks since the former architect of Governor Cuomo’s biggest upstate economic development programs was found guilty of bid rigging, along with three upstate developers.

Dr. Alain Kaloyeros will be sentenced in the fall. Also facing prison time – Governor Cuomo’s former closest aide, Joe Percoco, who will be sentenced on his bribery conviction in September.

Karen has covered state government and politics for New York State Public Radio, a network of 10 New York and Connecticut stations, since 1990. She is also a regular contributor to the statewide public television program about New York State government, New York Now. She appears on the reporter’s roundtable segment, and interviews newsmakers.
Related Content