Attorneys at a personal injury law firm that hired then-New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have testified he collected nearly $3.4 million in fees without doing any legal work.
One of the attorneys took the witness stand at Silver’s corruption trial Tuesday and said Silver had no role in the lucrative asbestos cancer cases once he referred clients to the firm.
Prosecutors allege the outside income for the once-powerful Democrat was part of a bribery scheme involving a cancer researcher. They say the doctor gave Silver names of asbestos victims in exchange for research grants.
The defense insists there was no quid pro quo and there was nothing improper about the fees Silver collected.
Silver quit his speaker post after his arrest but retained his seat.
(AP)