Ex-Dem NY Speaker Sheldon Silver found guilty in second corruption trial

Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D) was found guilty on federal corruption charges Friday for accepting $4 million in kickbacks, according to multiple media reports.

Prosecutors argued that Silver, 73, took $4 million in kickbacks in exchange for using his office to pass legislation that benefited real estate companies while serving on retainer as an attorney for the same firms. Prosecutors said Silver had a similar arrangement with a Columbia University cancer researcher.

The New York politician was convicted of seven counts, including two counts of honest services fraud, one count of money laundering, and four counts of extortion under color of official right, according to The New York Times.

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Silver, who was once a powerful ally of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), now faces 130 years in prison. The decision comes a year after his 2015 conviction on the same charges was thrown out following a Supreme Court case that narrowed the definition of corruption under the law.

“Sheldon Silver repeatedly used his enormous public power for his own enormous private gain,” prosecutor Tatiana R. Martins told the jury in her closing statement.

Defense attorneys said in court that Silver’s actions were “distasteful” but failed to prove that his actions fell outside the definition of bribery.

“Distasteful is not criminal. A conflict of interest is not a criminal offense,” defense lawyer Michael Feldberg told the jury on Monday, according to the New York Post.

Silver first joined the State Assembly in 1976, later becoming speaker in 1994. He remained speaker until 2015, when he was arrested on federal corruption charges.