NEW YORK — Sheldon Silver’s appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied on Tuesday, January 16, 2018. Silver appealed part of the Second Circuit’s decision overturning his convictions on corruption charges. That decision overturned Silver’s convictions citing improper jury instructions pursuant to the Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. v. McDonald. Silver’s appeal centered on the money laundering charge. For that charge, he argued that a split exists among federal appeals courts as to the prosecutorial requirement linking a transaction to the suspected crime. Essentially, he argued that the prosecutors had failed to meet that requirement.
Silver had been convicted in 2015 of using his political influence and position to steer money to a mesothelioma researcher in a trade for client referrals to Silver’s law firm. Check back with Asbestos Case Tracker for any future developments in this matter.