Sheldon Silver, New York Assembly Speaker, Took Millions in Graft, U.S. Says

NY Times ^ | WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM, THOMAS KAPLAN and MARC SANTORA

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The speaker of the New York State Assembly, Sheldon Silver, was arrested on federal corruption charges on Thursday and accused of using the power of his office for more than a decade to secure millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks and then covering up his schemes, according to court documents.

Mr. Silver, a Democrat from the Lower East Side of Manhattan who has served as speaker for more than two decades, is accused of a range of corrupt dealings that capitalized on his official position. They include using his position to obtain corrupt payments misrepresented as referral fees from a law firm; funneling state research funds and other benefits to a doctor who in return referred asbestos claims to the law firm where the speaker worked; and secretly helping real estate developers win tax breaks.

[Liz]

Silver made out like a bandit---using public office to enrich himself and his hand-picked pals. Said to have at least six bank accounts----possibly to evade taxes.

<><> Silver assisted a former aide for a price----persuaded developers who had business with the state to use a real estate firm run by his former aide. The firm paid him $700,000 in fees.

<><> Silver's made more Than $5.3 Million From his association w/ Weitz & Luxenberg. No word yet WRT how he used his office to profit his law firm ...and himself.

<><>Silver was said to have directed $500,000 in tax dollars to an unnamed doctor, who in return provided asbestos victims to Silver's law firm Weitz & Luxenberg. Silver was paid $1.4 million in salary, and another $3.9 million in referral fees, and purported to work for the firm, but in fact “never performed any legal work whatsoever,” prosecutors allege.

[Liz]

Cuomo turned nothing over to the US Atty voluntarily. He had to be threatened w/ a very public subpoena for documents he willfully withheld.

Nice input---thanks. Truly laughable are Andy's presidential ambitions. He has about as much charisma, and presidential presence, as a boiled kale stem. Andy's political vision goes all the way from A-B.

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Abortion Worshipper Cuomo has a Master Plan---b/c everybody knows to burnish one's bona fides to get re-elected, you have to feed the snarling "choice" crowds more and more red meat. He upped the W/O/W ante w/ profoundly stupid TV ads calling on voters to vote a third party line to “protect” free-for all late-term abortion...endorsed by his "family" which includes his live-in, Braless Chef Sandra Lee. Andy knows -—the last refuge of a scoundrel-—a woman’s vagina.

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10/21 Gov. Cuomo blames a busy day job for new memoir's failure to fly off shelves (Book Flop)
NY Daily News ^ | 10/20/14 | CELESTE KATZ / FR Posted by jimbo123

It's not that Gov. Cuomo's book sales stink, he told reporters Monday -- it's just that his day job keeps him kind of busy when it comes to promoting it. Cuomo's first memoir signing drew fewer than 150 people to the Barnes & Noble in Union Square last Wednesday. His Amazon ratings aren't exactly a blazing constellation of five-star endorsements either. (Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...

INCONVENIENT FACTOIDS EDITED OUT OF ANDY'S BOOK: Cuomo failed to pass his bar exam FIVE times; he's just another not-so-bright politician looking to shore up his lack of self-esteem on the backs of an electorate he despises.

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SCUMMO ALSO FORGET TO INCLUDE THIS IN HIS "LIFE OF THE POLITICALLY INSANE":

Moreland aftermath--Cuomo's Criminal Defense (lawyering up w/ campaign funds)

Gov Cuomo hired a high-priced criminal lawyer to represent his entire office WRT possible witness tampering--paid out of his $35 million campaign fund, because “the governor doesn’t want to have taxpayers pay for this." Cuomo's accused of shutting-down the Moreland Commission because corruption investigations were getting too close to him and his friends.....

Over the years, New York pols paid out more than $7 million in campaign funds to stay out of the pokey.....

Cuomo puts himself in the company of such convicts as former Sens. Carl Kruger and Pedro Espada, sleazy former Assemblyman Vito Lopez and Sen. Malcolm Smith, whose trial is pending.

Four years ago, then-candidate Cuomo pointed to criminal pols in his pledge to clean up Albany. Today, he’s using the very same tactics to defend himself.

So good to know it’s all for the taxpayer! (NY POST)

QUESTION FOR ANDY When you headed HUD, is it true $18 million went missing...into your bank account?

[xkaydet65]

About Cuomo’s women’s party creation. This was done to reduce voters voting for Working Family Party. Reasons: WFP is biggest power base for DeBlasio and it’s money, from UFT and SEIU was spent to win Senate from GOP. That would have made Andy a figurehead and made Silver and Bill the Red the power in the state. So Cuomo sought to divert WFP votes elsewhere so they would lose their place on the ballot in 16.I didn’t look at the numbers on Nov. but his new crusade against the UFT tells me he succeeded. Though Sheriff Preet may be working on a different plot line from Andy.

[Liz]

Cuomo cunningly used the campaign ad to bore viewers w/ that annoying monotone voce of his-—introducing what he called “his family”-—live-in Braless Chef Sandra, and teens from his first failed marriage to a Kennedy (wedded bliss fizzed when her ambitions trumped Andy’s).