A federal judge has delayed the start of Sheldon Silver’s prison sentence by two months.
On May 3, Judge Valerie Caproni sentenced the former Lower East Side assemblyman to 12 years on political corruption charges. Today she ruled that he won’t be required to report to prison until Aug. 31.
Silver is waiting on a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, which could have bearing on his appeal. The high court is set to decide by the end of June on the corruption case of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. If it’s overturned (which appears likely), the federal statute used to prosecute Silver could be weakened and his grounds for appeal bolstered.
Once the Supreme Court rules, Caproni will decide whether Silver should remain out on bail during the lengthy appeals process.
The judge also ruled today that the first installment of Silver’s fines ($1.5 million) will not be due until August 15. The original due date was June 14.
