Answering my questions tonight #SheldonSilver was limping,. The 73 year old is not the same man health wise, as his first corruption trial. Silver hired a new attorney, Michael Feldberg. Judge Caproni refused to push back April 16 retrial date. She even said “Hello Mr. Silver.” pic.twitter.com/0SUbbM2Six
— Dominic Carter (@DominicTV) February 2, 2018
The retrial of former Lower East Side Assemblyman Sheldon Silver is set for April 16. At a hearing yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Valerie Caproni declined to delay the start date, even though Silver is changing attorneys.
Silver’s 2015 conviction on federal corruption charges was thrown out by an appeals court last year. While a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidated the original verdict, the high court recently declined to dismiss Silver’s case altogether.
High priced defense attorneys Steve Molo and Joel Cohen will not be representing Silver in the retrial. This time around, Michael Feldberg will be defending the former assembly speaker. Molo and Cohen told the Daily News that the change was made because defending these types of cases is, “incredibly expensive” and “Mr. Silver’s assets have been frozen for three years.”
After leaving the courthouse, Silver expressed confidence in his legal prospects, saying, “I believe justice will prevail.”
Silver was convicted on charges that he performed “official acts” in exchange for about $4 million in illicit legal fees. The appeals court ruled that Caproni’s jury instructions were flawed in light of the Supreme Court ruling.
