A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Dean Skelos, former state Senate majority leader, to five years in prison for pressuring real estate companies to hire his son for a no-show job.
Skelos and his son, Adam, were convicted in December on corruption charges related to the senator using his political position to get work for his son. During the trial, a lobbyist for Glenwood Management testified that the elder Skelos “badgered” Glenwood about “helping” Adam, who ultimately scored a $10,000-a-month job at a pollution control company and a $20,000 referral fee for work he didn’t actually perform.
Federal District Court Judge Kimba Woods sentenced Adam Skelos to six-and-a-half years in prison, the New York Times reported. She told both father and son that she wanted their sentences to demonstrate that “public corruption will be punished.”
The sentencing comes a little over a week after a federal court judge sentenced former state Assemly Speaker Sheldon Silver to 12 years in prison. His corruption case — involving nearly $4 million in kickbacks — also involved titans of the real estate industry. Both disgraced politicos were replaced through special elections held in April. [NYT] — Kathryn Brenzel
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated Silver’s sentence. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.