Sheldon Silver, Public Corruption, New York 2020

Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver sold his public office for private greed, a unanimous jury found.

Silver, who took an oath to act in the best interests of the people of New York State, abused his position of power for personal gain.

The conviction of Silver, 74, marks a significant victory in the fight against public corruption in New York.

Sheldon Silver was convicted of receiving millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks in exchange for his assistance in securing state funding for real estate developers and for referring clients to a law firm that specialized in asbestos lawsuits.

The case against Silver was led by the career prosecutors of the Southern District of New York’s Public Corruption Unit.

‘Sheldon Silver, the former New York State Assembly Speaker, took an oath to act in the best interests of the people of New York State. As a unanimous jury found, he sold his public office for private greed,’ U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in a statement.

‘I commend the career prosecutors of our Office’s Public Corruption Unit, whose determination in securing this important conviction fittingly underscores the importance of pursuing cases against corrupt politicians, no matter the difficulty.’

The Southern District of New York will continue to combat public corruption with the independence and resolve that the citizens of New York so rightly deserve.

Silver is scheduled to be sentenced on June 30, 2020, and faces up to 20 years in prison, according to court documents.

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