New York – Sheldon Silver, one of New York state’s most powerful politicians before his December conviction in a bribery case, had two extramarital affairs while in office, with a lobbyist and with a woman whom he helped get a state job, according to documents unsealed on Friday.
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Silver, a Democrat who was speaker of the New York State Assembly, and both women tried to stop the release of the documents. But a federal judge in Manhattan on Thursday ordered the disclosure, saying it was of public interest.
The documents showed that in October, prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni to allow them to use evidence at trial about Silver’s relationships, saying they were relevant to “the use of his official office for private benefit.”
In a heavily redacted motion, prosecutors said one of the women was a lobbyist who was often hired to lobby Silver on behalf of clients.
During a recorded conversation on an unspecified date, Silver and the woman discussed how a reporter was calling legislators about whether certain legislators were having affairs, prosecutors said.
Silver responded: “I don’t think he caught us.”
The second woman, according to prosecutors, had a “long-running extramarital relationship” with Silver, who used his official position to recommend her for a state job.
The evidence about the affairs was ultimately not introduced at trial.
In a joint statement, Silver’s lawyers, Steven Molo and Joel Cohen, said: “These are simply unproven and salacious allegations that have no place in this case or public discussion.”
One of the women, referred to in court papers as “Sealed Party A,” was a “public figure,” Caproni said at a hearing on Thursday. That woman hired a prominent lawyer, Abbe Lowell, to fight against having the papers made public.
Lowell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Silver was first elected to the Assembly in 1976. He became its speaker in 1994 and held that position until after he was charged last year.
A federal jury in December found Silver, 72, guilty on charges including fraud, extortion and money laundering. Prosecutors said at trial that he abused his office to collect as much as $4 million in illegal bribes and kickbacks.
Later in December, former New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos was convicted of bribery and extortion in a separate corruption case.
As leaders of the state’s two legislative houses, the Democrat Silver and the Republican Skelos were two-thirds of the “three men in a room,” along with the governor, who exercise vast power over key legislation.
רובם בגזל, ומיעוטם בעריות, וכולם באבק לשון הרע
בבא בתרא קסה, א
I read somewhere that it is Merrill Tisch who use to chair Met Council on Jewish poverty where Silver’s chief of staff husband was director Rapfogel is the name who himself is a convicted felon responsible for stealing met council funds.
Most downfalls of powerful people throughout history are usually the result of either money or sex. Sheldon apparently threw the Torah under the bus and now it’s time for him to pay the price. Was it worth it all? No.
This is news, this is how the pols operate!
Just before the holy days of passover we are subjected to lashon horah and gossip.Is this some kind of show to distract us from prereations of eating the matzohs ?
So now we find out it was 3 men and 2 women in a room. Crooked Shelly caught with his pants down. Rotten goniff.
Certainly not lash on hora, but what a sleazy guy.
Why do all here always believe anything evil about the other (fellow Jew)?
It might not be Loshon Harah but rather Moytzeh Shem Rah.
I know (almost first hand) that he (S.Silver) was threatened with jail time for his immediate family if he did not plead guilty.
Here in this great Country (USA) they can find a fault in anybody and throw the book at him. Mr. Silver was found guilty for steering business to his law firm.
Big deal!
Well, if your family owns a bakery (just an example) and an associate of yours is looking to buy bread or cake, would you send him to your family’s bake shop or to the competition? If you were in office as he was and you would suggest your family’s bake shop they could jail you for that?
Of course, he’s been a sleaze for a long time. Sadly, this disgrace and embarrassment casts a huge cloud over all of us.
Sorry but can you tell us, where in the Torah does it say that if someone has an extramarital affair the punishment is longest sentence possible?
I spent a substantial amount of time at the Silver trial. Sad to say the man did nothing wrong.
The government had the weakest case I have ever watched. The prosecutors were running around like a bunch of nervous wrecks (including Bahara) especially while the jury were deliberating which took a few days, because they knew their case was as weak as can be. Their star witness Dr Taub (Shelly’s friend) testified under a non-prosecutional agreement that there was no exchange favors for favors (quid pro quo).
Shelly’s mistake was that he didn’t retire as soon as he saw these prosecutors jealous of his success. They had their eyes on Shelly for a many years.
Let’s hope he wins on appeal.
A bigger Chillul Hashem is the Monsey rabbis solid support for the known crook Cris St. Lawrence. ST. Lawrence is the most hated man in Rockland. A known crook. Everyone knows he was on the side of the frum DEVELOPERS who made millions while ruining Ramapo and Monsey and everyone knows this crook who cheated the people was kept in office by the “Orthodox” and this caused lots of Anti semitism. A huge Chillul Hashem that will be remembered.
Patricia Lynch was a lobbyist for the Catholic Church and the Ultra Orthodox. The goal was to defeat a NY State bill lengthening of the statute of limitations for prosecution of child molester (strange bedfellows huh?). Silver effectively killed the bill so lots of priests and rabbis could avoid prosecution for doing to kids what Silver did to Lynch.
Hope Silver spends the rest of his life rotting in prison.