Dean G. Skelos, the leader of the New York State Senate, and his son, Adam B. Skelos, surrendered to the FBI in Lower Manhattan Monday on corruption charges.
A six-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan details charges of conspiracy and extortion under the color of official right, honest services wire fraud and bribe solicitation.
The accusations stem from a federal investigation dating back to 2010, which includes the senator taking official actions to benefit water treatment company AbTech Industries and real estate firm Glenwood Management as long as the companies paid his son.
Both Sen. Skelos and his son were being tracked via court-ordered wiretaps. Two senior executives from both businesses also cooperated with federal authorities, the complaint said.
In one taped conversation, Adam Skelos acknowledged that he got a job with AbTech even though he “literally knew nothing about water or, you know, any of that stuff.”
Sen. Skelos has been in the New York State Senate since 1984 and led Senate Republicans since 2008. He and his son are expected in federal court later Monday. The senator’s lawyer, G. Robert Gage Jr., could not immediately be reached for comment, while Adam Skelos’ lawyer, Christopher P. Conniff, said he would comment on the charges later Monday.
