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Appeals Court Partially Overturns Sheldon Silver's Corruption Conviction

By

Elizabeth Kim

Published Jan 21, 2020

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Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, center, is surrounded by reporters as he leaves federal court in New York after his sentencing in 2018.

 

Mary Altaffer/AP/Shutterstock

By

Elizabeth Kim

Published Jan 21, 2020

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A federal appeals court has partially overturned the 2018 corruption ruling on the former state Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, but upheld the decision on other charges, including money laundering as part of a real estate bribery scheme.

The unanimous ruling by a three-judge appellate panel on Tuesday will mean that Silver, once among the most powerful political figures in New York, will be resentenced. According to the New York Times, prison time is "still likely" for the disgraced Democrat, who represented the Lower East Side. As part of his 2018 conviction, Silver had been sentenced to seven years in prison after having been found guilty for accepting nearly $4 million in bribes from a cancer researcher and two real estate developers.

In the cancer-related scheme, prosecutors argued that Silver had arranged the awarding of two grants totaling $500,000 to Robert Taub, who ran a clinic dedicated to mesothelioma research. In return, the government said Taub referred cancer patients with potential legal claims to a law firm that gave Silver a slice of its fees.

Silver was accused of a similar kickback deal with two developers, Glenwood Management and the Witkoff Group, asking them to refer certain tax business to a law firm that would pay him in exchange for Silver's crucial support of real estate legislation.

Tuesday's ruling vacated three of the seven counts Silver was convicted of in 2018.

Despite that conviction, the 75-year-old has managed to elude prison, remaining free on bail pending his appeal.

Both a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office and Silver's attorney, Meir Feder, declined to comment on the decision.

The 84-page appellate court decision tossed out the convictions related to Silver's arrangement with the cancer researcher, agreeing with an argument made by Silver's lawyer that the court did not give proper legal instructions to the jury on those specific charges.

The U.S. Attorney's case against Silver dates back to 2015, when he was convicted of all seven counts of extortion, taking bribes, and money laundering. But that was overturned two years later, forcing a retrial in 2018.

Tagged

federal corruption

u.s. attorney

sheldon silver

Elizabeth Kim

Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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