Corrupt NY Dem Sheldon Silver Dies In Prison At 77

January 24, 2022 Crime, Democrats

The Associated Press reports:

Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, one of the most powerful figures in state government for two decades before his conviction on corruption charges, has died in federal custody. He was 77.

Silver died Monday, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

The Manhattan Democrat, who told a judge he prayed he would not die in prison, had been serving a more than six-year sentence in federal prison. He was convicted of using his clout in state government to benefit real estate developers, who rewarded Silver by referring lucrative business to his law firm.

The New York Daily News reports:



Silver’s affiliation with Weitz & Luxenberg began in 2002, when its partners, Perry Weitz and Arthur Luxenberg, hired him to lend prestige to their firm. They didn’t expect Silver to do any work for his $120,000 salary. His name on the firm’s letterhead caught the eye of Dr. Robert Taub, an expert in mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Taub wanted money for his mesothelioma research, and was irked that Weitz & Luxenberg made millions off the disease but did not support the search for its cure.

Taub approached Silver through a mutual friend to ask if he could persuade Weitz & Luxenberg to help. The word came back: “Shelly wants cases.” Silver wanted Taub to send him the names of mesothelioma patients he could refer to Weitz & Luxenberg. In return, Taub got two grants of $250,000 — some $500,000 in all — from a pot of state money over which Silver had complete control.

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