Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s corruption conviction has been overturned.
Silver was convicted in 2015 on federal corruption charges that he pocketed $4 million in exchange for political favors.
His conviction was overturned on the basis of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled that those favors have to be in the form of concrete actions, such as filing a lawsuit or holding a hearing. Just making a phone call or arranging a meeting does not meet that test.
The appeals court found that the trial judge’s jury instructions should have included that definition.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim says he will retry the case. Silver, who is 73, faces 12 years in prison.
