Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver declared his innocence Thursday after facing bombshell federal corruption charges of soliciting $4 million in dirty money over the last 15 years.
“I am confident that after a full hearing and due process, I will be vindicated of these charges,” a relaxed Silver announced after his release on $200,000 bond following a Manhattan Federal Court hearing.
Silver, spied earlier taking an uncomfortable ride to the courthouse alongside an FBI agent, made his brief appearance after U.S. Attorney Preet Bhahara blasted him as the epitome of a corrupt politician.
EDITORIAL: Speaker Silver has been laid bare as a polite extortionist
“For many years, New Yorkers have asked the question, ‘How could Speaker Silver, one of the most powerful men in New York, earn millions of dollars in outside income without deeply compromising his ability to honestly serve his constituents?’” said Bharara.
“Today we provide the answer: He didn’t.”
The stunning five-count criminal complaint accused the Manhattan Democrat, an Albany power broker for decades, with pocketing millions in bribes and kickbacks in return for wielding his massive influence.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/assembly-speaker-silver-arrested-report-article-1.2087758
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