LOWER MANHATTAN — If Sheldon Silver's November conviction on two bribery schemes was a sharp fall from grace, evidence unsealed Friday of two affairs — one with a state lobbyist, another with a woman he secured a state job for — might be considered something of an ethical nosedive.
Silver, who served Lower Manhattan as state assemblyman for nearly 35 years with a reputation for getting things done for constituents, was found guilty by a Manhattan federal jury in November on charges of money laundering, fraud and extortion for trading political favor for millions in kickbacks.
On Friday, evidence kept sealed during his trial was released because the federal judge overseeing the case ruled the public had a right to know some of information she was considering before Silver's impending May 3 sentencing.
But his affairs are just the latest in a string of scandals that have touched Silver's longtime reign as one of the most powerful men in Albany. For years, Silver has been accused of turning a blind eye to the sexual misconduct of other assemblymen.
Silver was sued in 2013 by two women who were sexually harassed by disgraced ex-Assemblyman Vito Lopez — the women claimed that Silver acquiesced to the harassment to happen by not taking action against Lopez. That case was settled last year. Earlier, in 2012, Silver had secretly authorized state money be paid to two other women who claimed they'd been harassed by Lopez — and he didn't pass their complaints to the Ethics Committee, a violation of state rules.
It also took years for Assemblyman Michah Kellner to finally face Ethics Committee rebuke in 2013 for sexual harassment from junior staffers.
Silver had also been sued for how he handled the sexual assault claims against a former top aide, J. Michael Boxley, in 2003. Two separate women claimed Boxley had raped them, and the women claimed that Silver never properly investigated the claims and essentially tolerated a culture of sexual harassment in Albany.
In 2006, Silver paid $500,000 to settle the suit — Boxley pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct in a deal that kept him from serving jail time.
No jail time for Silver, however, is not an option in federal judge Valerie Caproni's court. He faces more than 100 years in prison for his corruption charges.
