Sheldon Silver Found Guilty on All Counts in Corruption Case

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Ex-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver—who for decades was one of the most powerful men in the state—was found guilty on all counts at the conclusion of a corruption trial in a Manhattan federal courthouse this afternoon.

“Today, Sheldon Silver got justice, and at long last, so did the people of New York,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement—using just 16 words to sum up a high-profile case that has rocked New York State politics.

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Mr. Bharara had Mr. Silver arrested in January on charges of extortion and several kinds of fraud. The hard-charging prosecutor asserted that the Lower Manhattan Democrat had “monetized” his powerful perch in Albany by using it to pressure organizations with business before the state to make use of two law firms that paid the legislative leader more than $4 million in referral fees.

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