Jury convicts Sheldon Silver on federal corruption charges

A federal court jury in Manhattan found former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver guilty Monday on all federal corruption counts he faced. Prosecutor Preet Bharara said, "Silver got justice and at long last so did the people of New York." Bharara charged Silver with using the power of his political office to generate millions of dollars from his side job as a lawyer. The defense characterized his behavior as routine but prosecutors said Silver used power to line his pockets. Silver Spoke with reporters after the verdict and vows to appeal.

Silver-Vows to appeal

Because of the conviction, Silver automatically loses his Assembly seat. Silver is free on bail until a sentencing date, which has not yet been set.

In another development, Republican Assemblyman Joseph Giglio of Gowanda says the Assembly is in need of reform.  Here's his complete statement:

“The ‘guilty on all counts’ verdict returned today against former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver highlights the urgent need for systematic reform of the manner in which the Assembly operates.  The abuse of power and level of corruption can be partly attributed to the total control that one member of the Assembly maintains over all other members.  I’ve pointed to legislation, rule changes and other systematic reforms over the years that would severely undercut one member’s ability to corrupt an entire governmental body, and the need for that reform is urgent.  Sheldon Silver is finally gone from the Assembly, and it’s time to act.”

Sheldon Silver

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