Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on Tuesday, after being found guilty last December on seven counts of corruption.
The 72-year-old Democratic National Committee member was convicted for money laundering and extortion during trial and government documents later revealed that he had engaged in extramarital affairs with separate women during his time in New York’s legislative chamber.
Judge calls Silver a “scheming, corrupt, politicians.” Says corrupt colleagues being jailed had “no one iota” of effect on him.
— Nicole Fuller (@nicolefuller) May 3, 2016
According to the New York Post, federal prosecutors sought to slap Silver with a minimum sentence of 15 years despite, which would have been the longest sentence ever given to an elected official in the Empire State.
Prosecutors also requested that Silver pay a fine of at least $1 million, in addition to the $4 million he earned illegally and has been forced to forfeit to the state of New York.
Silver endorsed Hillary Clinton’s bid for the White House during the 2008 primary and worked to bolster support for her among New York lawmakers when she was running for Senate in 2000.
Silver was still considered a Democratic superdelegate until he resigned from his post with the DNC in late February. A DNC official confirmed Silver’s resignation to the Washington Examiner on Tuesday afternoon.
