In sentencing Sheldon Silver, Judge Valerie Caproni seemed to reflect my concern about laws and budgets passed by the Assembly during Silver’s tenure as Assembly Speaker. See the excerpt from today’s NY Times below:
[Federal Judge Valerie Caproni] rejected a defense assertion that Mr. Silver’s actions had not caused “discernible harm.” She said the specter of corruption made it impossible to know whether government officials were making decisions for the right reasons or for personal financial gain.
His crimes “cast a shadow over everything he has done and has thrown into doubt every difficult decision any legislator has ever made,” the judge said.
