What to Know
- A judge says former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver can remain free until at least late October while he appeals his conviction.
- The 72-year-old Democrat was convicted last year in a $5 million corruption scandal.
- Silver's lawyers say a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer improves his chances on appeal.
A judge says former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver can remain free until at least late October while he appeals his conviction and 12-year prison sentence.
Manhattan federal Judge Valerie Caproni issued an order Thursday. The 72-year-old Democrat was convicted last year in a $5 million corruption scandal.
Silver's lawyers say a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer improves his chances on appeal. It reversed the public corruption conviction of former Virginia Republican Gov. Robert McDonnell.
Caproni says Silver can remain free until at least Oct. 27 or until two weeks after a court rules on his request to remain free for the length of any appeal.
Silver led the Assembly for more than two decades before he became the centerpiece of one of New York's steepest political falls from grace. He was convicted last year in a $5 million corruption case alleging he traded favors to enrich himself and then lied about it.
More than 30 other state lawmakers have left office under a cloud of criminal or ethical allegations since 2000, including Silver's former state Senate counterpart, Republican ex-Majority Leader Dean Skelos.
Local
Prosecutors say Silver came to trade his office for $4 million in kickbacks from a cancer researcher and real estate developers. They said he amassed more than $2 million in assets and arranged to receive a $70,000 annual pension from the state.
