Portrait of Sheldon Silver
LEGISLATIVE · NY · 1994-2015

Sheldon Silver

Speaker (Assembly) · House · Democrat · New York

On the record

Silver consults for / collects $4M in referral fees from Weitz & Luxenberg asbestos-mesothelioma law firm + Glenwood Management multifamily-real-estate interests while serving as NY Assembly Speaker — basis of 2015 federal honest-services-fraud conviction (12-year sentence; retried 2018; conviction stood). Convicted Nov 2015 on federal corruption (12 yrs); 21-year Speakership

SEVERITY · FELONY · CRIMES · fraud

Background

Sheldon Silver (1944–2022) was Speaker of the NY State Assembly 1994-2015 — 21 years. Convicted Nov 30 2015 + again Nov 19 2018 (after appellate reversal + retrial) on 7 federal honest-services-fraud + extortion counts; sentenced to 6.5 years federal prison. Died in custody Jan 24 2022 at FMC Devens. Case fundamentally reshaped public-corruption prosecutorial doctrine — McDonnell v. United States (2016, U.S. Sup Ct) narrowed "official act" definition during Silver's appeal.

Curated bio from Officium's editorial pass.

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