Convicted criminal Dean Skelos is hoping for a reprieve for past good behavior.
Skelos was found guilty on eight corruption counts in December for pressuring supporters — including developer Glenwood Management — to hand his son Adam no-show jobs.
The former State Senate majority leader’s legal team asked a judge to spare Skelos a prison term and instead sentence him to probation and 4,160 hours of community service.
“Because the sentencing guidelines fail to account for Mr. Skelos’ long history of public service and good work,” G. Robert Gage wrote, “and the unique nature of this case, we respectfully request that the court impose a sentence of probation with a multi-year community service.”
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara asked the court to deny Skelos‘ motion, according to Politico.
“The evidence in this case overwhelmingly proved that payments were made to Adam Skelos in order to influence Dean Skelos’s official actions and that the defendants knowingly participated in this corrupt scheme,” Bharara’s office wrote. “That is what the law required and that is what the Government proved.”
The memo is supported by several dozen letters of support from family members, former staffers, lobbyists and a sitting legislator. Dean and Adam Skelos could each face up to 130 years in prison,
Sheldon Silver, the longtime Assembly speaker, was convicted Nov. 30 on seven counts of honest services fraud, extortion and money laundering. Several figures from the real estate industry also played roles in his conviction. [Politico] – Ariel Stulberg