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 U.S. prosecutors in New York have accused Silver of using his
position as the speaker of the state assembly to collect millions of
dollars in illegal bribes and kickbacks in exchange for official
acts.
But Silver’s defense lawyers have argued that the government has
improperly attempted to criminalize what is, in essence, business as
usual in the state capital of Albany.
Silver’s former counterpart in the state Senate, Dean Skelos, is
himself on trial for corruption in the same Manhattan courthouse,
charged with coercing several companies into sending payments to his
son Adam in order to secure his political support.
The two trials represent the highest-profile cases in a string of
prosecutions and ethics scandals that have ensnared dozens of New
York lawmakers in recent years.
 Silver, 71, and Skelos, 67, stepped down from their leadership posts
after their arrests but have continued to work as legislators,
representing lower Manhattan and Long Island, respectively. Silver's
trial began on Nov. 3.
Under the state’s political system, the assembly speaker and the
senate majority leader, together with the governor, comprise the
so-called “three men in a room” who exercise virtually unfettered
control over the legislative and budget process in Albany.
Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, whose office is
prosecuting both Silver and Skelos, has criticized that structure as
“one of the most corrupt governments in the nation.”
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Silver is accused of awarding $500,000 in state grants from a secret
fund to a prominent cancer researcher, Robert Taub, who in turn
referred patients suffering from asbestos exposure to Silver’s law
firm. Silver collected millions of dollars in referral fees and
settlements as a result, prosecutors said.
He is also charged with accepting $700,000 in kickbacks for steering
real estate developers to another law firm, with the understanding
that he would provide needed support for the developers on key
legislation.
Silver’s lawyers, who declined to call any witnesses, have argued
the government failed to prove the existence of explicit “quid pro
quo” agreements during the three-week trial.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Tom Brown)
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