LOWER MANHATTAN — In a bid for leniency, Sheldon Silver said he "failed the people of New York," while his wife of nearly 50 years revealed his battle with cancer, both in letters to the federal judge that will soon determine the disgraced ex-assembly speaker's prison time.
In a letter filed Wednesday, Silver, who was found guilty last November on charges of fraud, extortion and money laundering related to two bribery schemes, said he apologizes to the court, to the people of New York and his constituents, as well as to his family for his "actions."
"I failed the people of New York," he wrote. "There is no question about it."
"I let my peers down, I let the people of the State down and I let down my constituents — the people of Lower Manhattan that I live among and fought for," he continued. "They deserve better."
But he also asked Judge Valerie Caproni to look at all the positive work he had done over the years, saying he "respectfully" wishes she will "examine the 'good' things I have tried to do as a public servant and as an individual...what I consider a lifetime of hard work and many good deeds"
Silver, who represented Lower Manhattan for more than 35 years, was beloved by many constituents and was known for getting things done in Downtown Manhattan.
His children, as well as several constituents, also wrote letters to the judge, praising him as a dedicated public servant and family man.
Recently unsealed evidence also showed that Silver had engaged in extramarital affairs with two women who had business before the state.
But his wife of nearly 50 years, Rosa, still wrote a heartfelt letter of support for her husband, saying that he is a "good man" and lauding him as dedicated public representative, father and grandfather.
She also pointed to his recent battle with prostate cancer, which his lawyers said is in remission after radiation therapy in 2015.
“It terrifies me that his father and brother both died from the same kind of cancer Shelly was diagnosed with,” she said. “I am afraid he will be sick and, even worse, alone.”
Silver, 72, is slated to be sentenced on May 3.
The letters were filed the same day as prosecutors asked in their own sentencing memo that the judge order Silver to at least 14 years in prison.
