After two convictions and almost five years of courtroom tussle, New York State Assembly’s former speaker, Sheldon Silver is finally heading to prison.
Silver was sentenced to 78 months in prison recently. His lawyers however sought a term of home confinement for him, citing the risk of contracting coronavirus in jail.
While countering his lawyers request, Judge Valerie Caproni of the Federal District Court in Manhattan said: “I do not want Mr. Silver to die in prison, either. I cannot guarantee that Mr. Silver will not contract Covid in prison, but I also can’t guarantee that he won’t contract Covid if he stays out of prison.”
The stigmatised former speaker was first convicted in 2015 on honest services fraud, money laundering and extortion, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. An appeals court later overturned the conviction but he was tried again by federal prosecutors in 2018 and was found guilty a second time.
A federal appeals court upheld a conviction in respect of a scheme involving developers Witkoff Group and Glenwood Management and overturned a conviction for Silver’s involvement in a different kickback scheme with Columbia University cancer researcher, Robert Taub, in January.
While delivering the judgement, Judge Caproni said: “Mr. Silver, his time has come. He needs to go to jail.”
