Sheldon Silver, New York Assembly Speaker, Faces Arrest on Corruption Charges

[WNYresident]

Res, you are absolutely correct. Total BS when the governor is going to say he didn't see this right under his nose. Wait for it, his excuses are coming. It's highly probable "Republicans" are involved with this too. Look at the way Brian Kolb protected this guy when the eyes of the assembly were on him. What did he know?

Then we had Andrew Cuomo eliminating the Moreland Commission.



Cuomo’s Office Hobbled Ethics Inquiries by Moreland Commission

With Albany rocked by a seemingly endless barrage of scandals and arrests, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo set up a high-powered commission last summer to root out corruption in state politics. It was barely two months old when its investigators, hunting for violations of campaign-finance laws, issued a subpoena to a media-buying firm that had placed millions of dollars’ worth of advertisements for the New York State Democratic Party.

The investigators did not realize that the firm, Buying Time, also counted Mr. Cuomo among its clients, having bought the airtime for his campaign when he ran for governor in 2010.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/ny...sion.html?_r=0


Capitol Corruption Panel’s Demise Angers Watchdogs
Cuomo’s Push to End Moreland Commission Draws Backlash

LBANY — It was a quiet and sudden end to what had started as a high-profile battle against Statehouse corruption.

With little fanfare and no advance notice, and at the tail end of a 44-minute teleconference with reporters explaining the state’s new budget deal, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Saturday that he intended to dismantle the Commission to Investigate Public Corruption. The commission was formed last July, stocked with “the best minds in law enforcement” and given a broad mandate to restore public trust in government.

Mr. Cuomo said the reforms he wanted would be accomplished by new laws that he had persuaded legislative leaders to support as part of the budget accord, including tougher laws on bribery and corruption, and improved enforcement of election law. That, he said, would eliminate the need for the panel, known as the Moreland Commission.

“That’s what this package is,” the governor said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/ny...-backlash.html

[ljjr21]

My take on this is that it's tied into the George Maziarz resignation.How many years has he been speaker of the house and all of a sudden he get arrested for "Corruption"? Ol George resigned too fast for anything to not happen in the fallout. There's also talk that Maziarz's wife is being moved around to different judges offices for some strange reason.

[NY The Vampire State]

My thoughts exactly. Remember Joe Bruno, years of legal fees that WE had to pay for!
Adding insult to injury, New York taxpayers lose either way.

http://nypost.com/2014/12/25/state-t...defense-costs/

Oh don't forget about Vito Lopez.

[nogods]

link to the criminal complaint

[grump]

Of course Bruno was vindicated in court, not once but twice. His second trial was widely regarded as political payback because he won the first time. Remember, the US attorney in his first trial stated on the record that there was no proof for the alleged crimes that formed the basis for the second prosecution. The jury took about 20 minutes to acquit in the second trial. They would've taken less time but some of them had to pee before they returned to court to render their verdict. If anyone should pay for that it should be the US attorney who maintained an obviously frivolous action. Preet Bowwow is rapidly developing a reputation as a prosecutor who brings cases that are totally unsupportable under law. The spate of reversals of convictions of Wall street types he persecuted, er, prosecuted is an example. I'm no Sheldon Silver supporter but that whole theft of honest services law is a pile of crap. And don't assume that things will somehow get better for WNY if he's removed. With all his warts he has been able to keep a lid on some of the really looney tunes in the Assembly of which there are dozens from NYC. If they get lose you'd better hang on for dear life to the spare change Muhhamed Obama and Il Duce have left you with.

[WNYresident]

Could Cuomo be considered an accomplice if he was blocking the moreland group from investigating matters like this?

[WNYresident]

Sheldon Silver arrested, accused of taking $4M in bribes, kickbacks

Sheldon Silver, the longtime speaker of the New York state Assembly, was arrested Thursday morning on charges that he​​ abused his position to pocket $4 million in bribes and kickbacks.
Federal authorities also seized $3.8 million from Silver, freezing eight of his bank accounts at six different banks, authorities said.

nypost.com

[NY The Vampire State]

That picture is awsome.

[FMD]

The real question, is why is he being arrested now? Not so much due to the corruption, let's be honest, our government is corrupt to its core.

From Cuomo to your local town boards, and everything and everyone in between.

Why is Sheldon suddenly being given the short end of the stick?

[NY The Vampire State]

If anyone should pay for that it should be the US attorney who maintained an obviously frivolous action. Preet Bowwow is rapidly developing a reputation as a prosecutor who brings cases that are totally unsupportable under law. The spate of reversals of convictions of Wall street types he persecuted, er, prosecuted is an example. I'm no Sheldon Silver supporter but that whole theft of honest services law is a pile of crap. And don't assume that things will somehow get better for WNY if he's removed..

Grump come on... Are you going to pretend that nothing illegal like this is going on in Albany? They are bribing and sucking each others dicks under the table left and right... With our money!

[dtwarren]

From the docket:

01/22/2015 6 Minute Entry for proceedings held before Magistrate Judge Frank Maas: Initial Appearance as to Sheldon Silver held on 1/22/2015., Deft Appears with Retained Attorney Joel Cohen, Steven Molo, Justin Shur and AUSA'S Carrie Cohen, Howard Master and Andrew Goldstein for the government. AGREED CONDITIONS OF RELEASE: $200,000 PRB; 2 FRP'S; Travel Limited to Continental United States; Surrender Travel Documents (& No New Applications); Any Travel Outside NY, NJ, and Washington, DC and Points in Between for Purposes of Travel to Washington, DC Shall Be on 48 Hours Advance Written Notice to PTS AND USAO; Deft to Be Released on Own Signature; Remaining Conditions to Be Met by 1/29/15; ( Preliminary Hearing set for 2/23/2015 at 10:00 AM before Judge Unassigned.) (dif) (Entered: 01/22/2015)

01/22/2015 7 AGREEMENT TO FORFEIT PROPERTY (OTHER THAN REAL PROPERTY) by Sheldon Silver. Personal Recognizance Bond in the amount of $ 200,000 PRB, 2 FRP'S; Travel Limited to Continental United States; Surrender Travel Documents (& No New Applications); Any Travel Outside NY, NJ and Washington, DC and Points in Between for Purposes of Travel to Washington, DC Shall Be on 48 Hours Advance Written Notice to PTS AND USAO; Deft to Be Released on Own Signature; Remaining Conditions to Be Met by 1/29/15 (dif) (Entered: 01/22/2015)

01/22/2015 8 ENDORSED LETTER as to Sheldon Silver addressed to Magistrate Judge Frank Maas from AUSA'S Carrie Cohen, Howard Master and Andrew Goldstein dated 1/22/2015 re: USA v Sheldon Silver, 15 Mag 170. In the Complaint in the matter filed under seal yesterday, January 21, 2015, there was an error on page 19, in paragraph 29 (f). The phrase "less than 1/10 of one percent" should read "less tan one percent". We enclose a corrected page 19. We respectfully request that the Court order that the corrected page 19 be substituted for the page 19 in the original. Application Granted, So Ordered. (Signed by Magistrate Judge Frank Maas on 1/22/2015)(dif) (Entered: 01/22/2015)

[grump]

Grump come on... Are you going to pretend that nothing illegal like this is going on in Albany? They are bribing and sucking each others dicks under the table left and right... With our money!

I'm not pretending anything. All I said was that Bruno was acquitted which he was and that Silver keeps a lid on a Pandora's box of nightmares that will be unleashed if the assembly lunatics from NYC gain sway which it will. Right now I don't know whether what Silver did was illegal. And the theft of honest services law is a piece of crap. That's all.

[grump]

And my understanding is that it wasn't taxpayer $ it was a law firms $.

[dtwarren]

Bruno was acquitted not because he was innocent of the crime when he was charged with it but because there was a change in law while his appeal on the verdict was pending: http://www.timesunion.com/local/arti...al-5486587.php

[Mr. Lackawanna]

Mr. Silver may be guilty and in my opinion, he should resign. But he won't.
I don't think the government will win their case in court.