From the August issue: The recent overturning of Sheldon Silver’s 2015 corruption conviction raises key questions for both the real estate industry and those who police it: Do landlords and developers have clearer guidelines on what counts as corruption, or will heightened scrutiny and a likely retrial only bring more of them into the witness box?
Although the former State Assembly speaker was sentenced to 12 years in prison for schemes involving real estate developers, he was spared last month by a Supreme Court decision that cleared former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell of corruption charges in 2016 — a ruling that redefined what could be considered an official act by a politician.
The appeals court judges who overturned Silver’s conviction did not label any of the evidence presented in his case erroneous. They did rule, however, that had the jury been properly instructed on what now defines such official acts, it may not have decided that Silver was guilty.