FEBRUARY 19, 2015
ALBANY, NEW YORK
Former New York state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was
indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday in a case against him by the
Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office.
Mr. Silver, a Democrat, was accused by federal prosecutors in a 35-page complaint
unsealed in January of using his political power to amass a “tremendous
personal fortune” through kickbacks from real-estate developers and referrals
to a personal-injury law firm.
The former speaker, who held that position for 21 years
until he resigned from his leadership post under pressure from his
conference in the wake of the complaint, has said he is innocent and will be
vindicated in court.
“Our client is not guilty,” Mr. Silver’s attorneys, Joel
Cohen and Steven Melo, said Thursday. “We can now begin to fight for his total
vindication. We will do our fighting where it should be done: in court.”
The jury announced its decision in federal magistrate court
on Thursday. The 25-page indictment lays out three charges against Mr. Silver,
including mail fraud, wire fraud and extortion. The criminal complaint on which
Mr. Silver was arrested listed five counts, including conspiracy, which isn’t
listed in the indictment.
The conspiracy charges weren’t presented to the grand jury,
said a person familiar with the proceedings.
The indictment only names Mr. Silver. In order for
conspiracy charges to be presented, there needs to be a co-conspirator.