Former Assembly Speaker Found Guilty on Retrial

Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has been found guilty on all counts in his corruption retrial. Silver was alleged to have taken $4 million in payoffs disguised as legal fees. Silver’s lawyer argued that there was no crime, and the fees were “common, standard and accepted.” Jurors deliberated for less than one hour before finding him guilty of mail fraud, wire fraud, and extortion. Silver was found guilty in 2015 , but his conviction was overturned based on a US Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the definition of a ‘corrupt act’. Skelos was one of the famous ‘three men in a room that decided what legislation came to a vote. The other two were Dean Skelos and Andrew Cuomo. Skelos was convicted on co rruption charges in 2017, but his conviction was overturned last year on the basis of the same Supreme Court ruling.