While addressing a conference room full of New York State
Assembly Democrats in the State Capitol less than a week after his
arrest on corruption charges, former New York State Assembly
Speaker Sheldon Silver reportedly told fellow lawmakers,
"I'm going to beat this." Since that time, scores of
articles have been written condemning Silver and the perceived
corruption in New York state politics, yet none of the coverage has
bothered to ask the obvious question: Can he?
The case against Silver must be reexamined in light of the
federal grand jury's decision on February 19 to return a
three-count indictment against Silver charging him with honest
services mail fraud, honest services wire fraud, and Hobbs Act
extortion under "color of official right." The
indictment, like the original complaint, charges Silver with
orchestrating two separate bribery schemes through which he
allegedly received bribe payments concealed as "referral
fees" from two law firms that facilitated
