As I read this I realized that, while neither Republicans nor Democrats will challenge this outcome, if Mr. Silver had been a member of the other major party then we could expect an outraged complaint from the current president, which would garner no response from his fellow party members in Congress. That's my sense of the state of politics and governance today.
3
Perhaps there is a need to term limit the top legislative spots, so no one is Speaker or Majority leader for more that 4 years. This would allow elected officials to gain skills and knowledge before taking over the reigns but, once chose, would not let them think they would be in power forever. Shelly did a lot of good in his career, it does not justify this mistake.
4
Why can’t this happen to Donald Trump. He’s done far worse. As for Sheldon, he doesn’t deserve to be called a democrat.
4
@Voice Of Reason - Agreed on both counts!
1
@Voice Of Reason
but he is a democrat...and another corrupt one at that!
5
Simple comeuppance for a selfish arrogant man, a grifter caught and tried.
9
Aside from the Power of the position Many of these Public officials will Campaign like Crazy to hold on to jobs that really don't pay as much as if they were in the Private Sector. Are they all so dedicated do good people? My Father use to say they all hang around for years cause they don't want to do Real Work.
3
“We hope today’s fittingly stiff sentence sends a clear message: Brokering official favors for your personal benefit is illegal and will result in prison time.” That is certainly doubtful, but the sentence, given the magnitude of the crime, and the duration of its ongoing implementation, certainly warranted a longer sentence. Silver will never serve more than 2-3 years with parole being what it is. “I pray I will not die in prison.” Hmm, he was probably praying he would never get caught either. Funny how these criminals always seem to find the power of prayer and god after the fact. I have the same amount of sympathy and empathy for him, and his fellow misanthrope Skelos, as they had for everyone affected by their criminal deeds.
5
Albany politicians are so corrupt that the only thing they wouldn't steal is a red hot stove. Mr Silver is a prime example of the rampant corruption in NY State politics. The irony is some of his constituents still love him despite his criminal activity. After all, he did a lot for his district and that's all that matters to some people. It's this very NIMBY attitude that allows this type of corruption in the first place. New York State government desperately needs a major overhaul of ethics rules & regulations. But that's like letting the wolves watch the sheep.
7
Sheldon Silver = Donald Trump. Just without the tweets.
“This puts a stain on my reputation...”
“ I don’t want to die in prison...”
“ Everything I worked for...”
Me. Me. Me.
No “I’m sorry I abused your trust...”
Separately...
I don’t know anything about the other firm, but whenever Weitz & Luxembourg had a case for jury selection they were awarded the entire jury pool for the day. All other cases were dismissed. All potential jurors were made available for Mr Silvers’ firm. The vast majority of the cases they take are mesothelioma cases. They are the poster boy ambulance chasers.
NY’s court system was never intended to be used for the explicit benefit of one man and his crony law firm.
I don’t see any ramifications for the complicity of Weitz & Luxembourg.
5
Good.
6
And why is Trump not in jail ? His entire family has lined their pockets for a year and caused over a trillion dollars of debt for the US
6
Keep on Praying, Shelley.
The sad fact is most New Yorkers just don't care anymore what happens to you. But don't blame us. We the people are not at fault. We were the victims more than you are right now. But you are now an old and pathetic figure, a mere shell of a man, Shelley.
I'd pray for you, if I thought it would do any good. Instead, I'll just hope your final years on this planet are peaceful ones.
Remembering all you did for us, and to us.
DD
Manhattan
6
Dude, you do the crime you do the time. Nuff said.
6
Shelly has reserved the Glenwood Management Suite at his assigned FCI. You can monitor Silver & Skelos by the BOP numbers the will carry through their new life’s. Let hope three men in a room welcomes their partner in crime in the near future.
3
This guy got caught. Usually the ones like him are usually too stupid to profit legally from greed or have a bad lawyer.
There are plenty other rotten apples out there.
Go after them but don't start a witch hunt.
2
He's a thief and should have been jailed a long time ago...
7
7 years?? Ha ha!!
Under NYS sentencing and parole guidelines, Silver will likely be out in about 2-3 years.
Sounds like the sham sentence given to Alan Hevesi, the NYS controller some years back. He was sentenced to 1-4 years for a scam involving the state’s pension fund.
He and a political lobbyist siphoned off about $50 million in kickbacks from fund managers who sought to win business from the state.
Hevesi served about 1 year and I think the lobbyist served about 1.5 years.
Then they were free as a bird to retire in luxury.
For a $50 million pay-off, I will GLADLY serve 1.5 years!!
Please, please, please: where do I sign up for that deal??!!
6
7 years is it! Should be more. But makes no difference because he’ll serve only long enough to be off the front page of the media and then he’ll manage to “quietly” get out for “good behavior” after 8 months.
Guys like this always manage to get “early parole!”
Yep, 7 years or 70 years....he’ll be out before you know it. So will Skelos, whatever his sentence is.
8
The Bureau of Prison Register Number or Find by Name website will allow New Yorkers to keep up with Shelly as he begins his new life. Many wonder, Will a Glenwood Management luxury box be in the cards? Will Silver and Skelos share a berth with one cot kept open for their partner? Three men in a room and one left to go?
3
And yet despite all these comments I’ll wager that most of you will vote for their incumbent Assemblyan//Senator, who do nothing to correct the endemic rot that is the State Legislature. Crocodile tears.
7
Why is there no mention of former Senate leader Joe Bruno? Look up his story.
2
Bruno has already been convicted and tired. Look at the facts.
“I pray I will not die in prison.”
At 74 years of age, if he can keep dragging out the appeals process his prayers might be answered.
3
Shelly was a sleazy greedy democrat who traded lucrative referral fees on the backs of dying cancer victims for government funding for the pet projects of his favorite cancer doctor. He did no work except to provide a name of a dying asbestos victim, information he was never entitled too. And he tried to cover it up because he knew it was wrong. Was it the crime of the century? No. But it was a crime of greed, an abuse of power, and a selfish act by a corrupt politician who finally got caught. Sorry Shelly. You deserve your seven years. Pack your tooth brush. No tears from me.
9
Next Trump.
4
I have practiced criminal law for over 28 years as a prosecutor and defense attorney and find this sentence imposed comical. It laughs in the face of Justice compared to what normal defendants would receive. In plain language, if silver was black or any other minority the sentence would’ve been stiffer without doubt. For normal criminals who challenge the system and go to trial, waste the courts time, who are not remorseful, the maximum sentence would be given. This man had TWO trials and received a lessor sentence and is a mockery and every attorney and judge in New York knows it. If Silver were Italian, we would have heard the word MOB thrown around at trial and in the press wild bask in it but not here. Silver was/is a mobster and ruled as such! Everyone knew it and allowed it. As of today, I quit practicing law and give up. There is no justice or pity in federal court for my minority clients. Ever did i here a federal judge say “I pity you” to any defendant that was a minority. Silver deserves to die in jail! Just like normal criminals.
18
Why isn’t this level of determined scrutiny directed at our President? Illegal quid pro, a few million in kickbacks, and corruption was practically Trump’s running platform - and they now define his office and administration. Whether or not you like Silver, one can agree an example is being made out of him.
5
Silver has been cheating justice for 3 years. He should have been shackled and locked up upon his previous guilty verdict in 2015. Now he's found guilty again, sentenced again to a lesser sentence, remains free another 2 months and plans to appeal again. What chutzpah. When do we get our 1.75 million dollar fine? Or is Mrs. Silver going to claim, like Rosemary Martoma, that paying that fine, forfeiting ill-gotten gains, is going to impact her life, and that she shouldn't suffer for the sins of her husband?
8
Seven years is not enough. This man enriched himself at the expense of New York taxpayers. Silver deserves life.
6
The Big Lie in NY medialand is that Silvers's conviction and the convictions of 7 other people closely tied to the Governor, somehow, have Not Affected Cuomo's Poll Numbers!
That's either because the polls don't reach the newer members of the growing electorate, or because the media is heavily invested in a Cuomo victory.
In either case, I believe this theory will prove erroneous and that the traditional voter may not be motivated to vote for Cuomo, but a newly expanded Progressive base will turn out in droves and bring us Governor Cynthia Nixon.
4
If anybody on this thread was convicted of the same crime (in the private sector) we'd all be screaming to lock the person up and throw away the key. What makes this man so special? If indeed he took care of his constituents he did so at the expense of so many others both Downstate and Upstate; and let us not forget that the one he was most interested in taking care of was himself! Yes, it is sad that he (maybe) will spend 7 years incarcerated but he knew that what he was doing was wrong, these are the consequences of his own actions.
7
This is a draconian and, given his age, a sentence of several years would have easily made the same important point about those who would profit from positions of power.
But I am not a neutral observer.
I saw Mr. Silver work as a tireless advocate for public higher education during years when heartless reactionaries like former Governor George Pataki were trying to bring the City and State Universities to their knees.
And I saw countless programs serving the needs of poor and under-served communities saved by a man whose default position was always compassion. To say that New Yorkers, especially those in need, were better because Sheldon Silver was speaker is a stunning understatement. I will never stop admiring his extraordinary accomplishments.
But a wrong is a wrong and he probably is as aware of that as anybody.
But giving a 7 year sentence to a 71 year-old man?
What social good is served by a sentence that, in some ways, is a functional equivalent of the death penalty?
1
What difference does his age make? He deserves at least 7 years for these crimes regardless of whether he is 71 or 41. Before conviction, he had plenty of time to enjoy the fruits of his ill gotten gains and betrayal of the public trust. A 41 year old would have more to lose if convicted of the same crimes - he would need to find a job when his sentence was done.
10
I'm really not sure about sentencing a 74 year old man to 7 years in prison.
I've no doubt that it's harder to do the time at his age than it would be for a younger, stronger man.
I don't think it fair that he faces the real possibility of dying in prison, and not in his own bed, surrounded by loved ones, as would be the case otherwise.
I think 3 years would have been plenty.
2
30
1
@MCW
Don’t worry about it. Guys like this always manage to get out in “8 months” where a 74 year old ordinary crook would serve at least 4 years.
1
Its unbelievable this is almost half of the original sentence of 12 years plus he got to walk the streets for three years. And he gets to appeal this softened sentence .The judges are the just as much the problem, they aid in stalling the case .And on top of that some creep politician is going to pardon him,he will never due the whole bid.No wonder he has a smirk on his face
14
Mr Silver's misdeeds go far beyond what he was convicted of. He blocked numerous bills from going to the floor for discussion- bills that he had a personal vested interest in- and always denied a conflict of interest and would not recuse himself. Tort reform amongst other issues.
Someone commented that his sentence is too harsh for a mere few million dollars. But it is far too lenient for corrupting the democratic process.
Silver should have been put away for far more than 10 years and should die in prison. And he should have been led out of court in handcuffs today.
32
Amazing the intense hatred leveled at Silver by people on this thread who obviously don't know him and probably do not live in his assembly district on the Lower East Side. Clearly, these folks don't seem to realize that the majority of Silver's constituents appreciate his service to the district--otherwise they would not have returned him to public office for over nearly 40 years.
3
@Mary Reinholz
Sorry, but you have a poor understanding of New York politics. Assembly races are generally low-turnout affairs with little real opposition. In a one-party town, such as NYC, only the Democrat has any chance of election, and it is extremely difficult to even get on the ballot to oppose the incumbent in a primary.
Ask yourself why our suddenly Mr. Reformer governor, with two terms under his belt, has never even sought electoral reform. Why, unlike even some red states, don’t we have early voting or same day registration? Why is our system for getting on the ballot so difficult; filled with arcane, idiotic, rules which routinely knock legitimate opponents off the primary ballot, enforced by Supreme Court judges who run unopposed because of the fix being in between Democrats and Republicans.
New York State politics is a cesspool, and those who benefit from it have no incentive to change.
Sorry Ms Reinholz, but this crook remained in office for as long as he did because votors were never really given a choice.
6
Total malarkey! Those of us the live and work in Silvers district know/knew how corrupt he is. You must be living under a rock to believe otherwise.
1
Wonderful. A small district kept minorities out by blocking development of an open lot, and their rep reaped millions at the expense of democracy. That’s great!
9
It is a crime to both give and receive bribes. Any punishment for those who gave bribes?
12
Sheldon Silver was convicted twice. When does this stop? How many more trials will it take before he goes to prison?
4
Not sure I agree with the judge that her original sentence of twelve years is no longer warranted.
I knew many years ago that Sheldon Silver was a crook. Nobody has ever adequately explained how he came to vote against the interests of every single one of his constituents when he engineered the elimination of the commuter tax. The public explanation of trying to get support from upstate legislators never passed the smell test.
Seven years, even at his age, is not sufficient, nor does the fine imposed even equal the bogus salary he fraudulently collected over these many years, never mind the pension he continues to collect even though he violated the public trust while we employed him.
24
@Kayemtee
When I read this story in 2014 -
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/nyregion/they-kept-a-lower-east-side-...
- I realized that he not only enriched himself but also callously hurt others.
1
Shame on Lower East Side voters for having him in power so long after he was interested in good government. New York State politics needs reform and it starts by booting out the entire old guard.
17
They didn't even mention the worst corruption of all, wherein Silver arranged for legislation to be passed that would allow his law firm to bring all sorts of suits and collect huge amounts of money. That is what they were paying him for.
18
“Everything I ever accomplished has become a joke and a spectacle,” Mr. Silver, 74, wrote, adding, “I pray I will not die in prison.”
Sheldon Silver sealed his own fate... Indeed... Life for him is over and his new life will give him the opportunity to make amends... No Mercy
22
It is too high a sentence for a measly few million.
1
He deserves far worse
2
Year after year making a conscious decision to commit criminal acts against the interests of the citizens of our State and now you want sympathy and a break? Nope. Sorry Shelly. Looks like your prayers won't be answered and you will die in prison.
25
Please just put him in jail and throw away the key.
25
And Cuomo goes scot-free. Percoco, Howe, Kalyoeros- he barely knows them, according to him, even though Percoco was referred to as "Mario's third son," and Howe was making calls to Kalyoeros from an office next to Cuomo's. The Moreland Commission was disbanded as it got closer. Glenwood LLC. funneled bushels of money to him and his campaign. Two of the "three men in the room" have been convicted. We, New Yorkers, need, and deserve, three out of three.
35
The populace is disgusted with self serving politicians. They want blood. Cuomo is in the middle of it all. The Ringleader.
19
@rich williams Can you name 1 politician who is not self-serving? Voters saw that's what Hillary was and why she did not get elected. It was not because of Russian meddling.
2
I have no sympathy for him or the rest of the criminals running around in Albany. And our governor was surrounded by these criminals for years and never noticed this going on. He is either blind, stupid or a liar, and he will easily get re-elected. Bring back the Moreland Commission. Everyone should be outraged.
44
@J. Toscano The Moreland Commission was disbanded to preserve the integrity of an elected Governor? Is that the intimation the voters should take away?
4
No, Shellgame Silver, everything you ever accomplished was ALREADY a joke and a spectacle, by your hand. Just go away.
36
He was a thief and a hypocrite, filling his pockets while claiming to serve New Yorkers. He should go to jail while he appeals. Enough is enough.
46
Was he not fined? If not, why not? He gets to keep the money?
10
@Linda
The article says that he was fined $1.75 million.
3
“I pray I will not die in prison” – Sheldon Silver, 74 years old.
Many of us supporting a healthy workplace bill to tame workplace and academic bullying in New York – and believed Sheldon Silver was seriously responsible for sabotaging the bill by not letting it come to the floor for a vote several years ago when it had all the necessary votes – are not gloating t that he got his just deserts. He won't be in my prayers!
14
There is no end to the contempt that Sheldon Silver and his lawyers have for the citizens of New York City and State. Has he no shame?
The arrogance of seeking leniency and the laughable, ludicrous suggestion of community service on a helpline desk for citizens 'managing the bureaucracy'.
Can the citizens of New York City be any more insulted by this man? Hevesi, Silver, Skelos, with their arrogant, superior attitudes and power plays treating the city's residents and everyday working city agency civil service employees, supervisors and managers like dirt while they were wallowing in their corruption.
Seven years behind bars is a gift.
Prison, PRISON ONLY, for him.
42
Too little, too late.
18
Poetic justice would be that he gets diagnosed shortly before his scheduled release. Diagnosis is terminal.
His arrogance should be noted by a higher authority.
5
With Cuomo, it's not just that he's corrupt, evidence all those close to him who have been convicted of crimes, it's that he's an
obnoxious, whining incompetent.
Look at how he caused the mortgage and housing crises of the last decade.
https://www.villagevoice.com/2008/08/05/andrew-cuomo-and-fannie-and-fred...
19
That Supreme Court ruling is depressing — we need much stronger anti-corruption statutes, not weaker!
20
Why would anyone expect clean government? Officeholders are indebted to monied interests that installed them, not to the general public that is unorganized and generally not active in or sophisticated about politics. The incentives are not there for politicians to serve in the public interest. It’s an enduring American myth that ‘we the people’ in control of our destiny. Silver today, other politicians tomorrow.
9
@AlNewman -- Which is why we need campaign finance limits and serious controls on lobbying. But the beneficiaries of the corrupt system would have to pass the laws to fix things. Not sure how that can happen.
20
The Article states: In the first scheme, Mr. Silver arranged for the State Health Department to award grants totaling $500,000 to Dr. Taub in return for his referring cancer patients with potentially lucrative legal claims to a law firm, Weitz & Luxenberg, which kicked back part of its fees to Mr. Silver. From what I can tell, the law firm was never disciplined by the NY Bar. If not, why not? More corruption there as well. Too bad the NY bar is apparently perfectly happy to let this sort of thing occur without consequence
37
@CDNoonan - No evidence. They could claim they had no idea how Silver got these referrals.
I'll believe it when he actually goes to jail. Only by sending these corrupt politicians to jail will we ever have a chance for honest government. Next is Skelos. The big failure of the feds is their failure to nail Andrew Cuomo. His corruption has cost New Yorkers billions of dollars. The example of corruption that he sets encourages other Albany politicians to put their offices up for sale.
53
@Tony I would have to think that investigators would have to have something airtight to nail Cuomo on anything corrupt. Just surrounding yourself with crooks doesn't necessarily make you one yourself.
1
@Tony ... Well said ... mr. Silver should have thought about his miisdeeds before taking the money ... No Mercy
9