NY Assemblyman Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan). (Source: AP)
ALBANY – Former state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was in a federal courthouse in Manhattan on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to federal fraud and extortion charges following his indictment last week.
In addition, his lawyers asked a judge to throw out the case, saying the U.S. Attorney in charge of the case went too far in discussing the case publicly.
Silver is accused of using his power in the State Assembly to reap $4 million in kickbacks. The investigation by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara (Buh-Rare-Uh) was announced last month and led to Silver step down as Assembly Speaker while he battles the corruption charges. However, he still retains the lower Manhattan Assembly seat he has held for nearly 40 years.
Silver’s attorneys contest that Bharara’s statements after Silver’s arrest in January broke rules about what prosecutors can say outside of court and prejudiced the grand jury that indicted him last week.
Silver’s successor as Assembly speaker, Democrat Carl Heastie, has promised to focus on ethics and integrity. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has also suggested his own proposals, including full disclosure of outside income.
Leave a Reply