Jury Convicts Silver In Corruption Trial

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A jury has convicted former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver of public corruption charges, dashing the 74-year-old Democrat's second attempt to avoid prison after a decades-long career as one of the most powerful politicians in state government.

The verdict Friday came more than two years after his first 2015 trial resulted in a 12-year prison sentence.

An appeals court tossed out that conviction, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling that changed the legal boundaries for public corruption.

Prosecutors said Silver illegally earned $4 million from a cancer researcher and real estate developers who benefited from his clout in state government.

Defense lawyers countered that his fees were "perfectly legal."

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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