Trending
Doctor at center of scandal ready to testify against Silver
Ex-speaker's firm profited off mesothelioma victims, engaged in quid pro quo: Robert Taub
Just days after a federal judge green-lighted evidence involving developer Glenwood Management in his corruption trial, former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver took another hit.
Robert Taub, the doctor at the center of corruption case against Silver, is poised to give unflattering testimony during Silver’s pending trial, according to new court filings.
The doctor claims he disapproved of Silver’s law firm and only referred patients to the firm in exchange for the nearly $500,000 the former assembly speaker funneled to Taub’s research.
Prosecutors indicated in court filings obtained by the New York Post that Taub didn’t like Silver’s firm because it “profited off” victims of mesothelioma, and once their quid pro quo fizzled, the doctor stopped referring patients to the firm.
The court filings follow another hefty blow to the former speaker’s case. A federal judge last week ruled that prosecutors can introduce evidence that Silver acted on behalf of developer Glenwood Management. Prosecutors subpoenaed the firm in May 2014, asking for all documents pertaining to political contributions, the newspaper reported. Silver’s trial is scheduled to begin November 2.
Silver is accused of helping block a proposal to move a Gramercy Park methadone clinic to the Financial District, a short distance away from Glenwood’s Liberty Plaza. The Real Deal highlighted that the firm’s 101-year-old founder, Leonard Litwin, while one of the top political donors in New York State, might not be aware of the scandal. [NYP] — Kathryn Brenzel