Former New York lawmaker Dean Skelos and son convicted again after 2nd Circuit reversal
Former New York State lawmaker Dean Skelos/Wikipedia.
Former New York State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son have been convicted on corruption charges in a retrial after a federal appeals court vacated their first corruption convictions.
Federal jurors in Manhattan convicted Skelos and his son, Adam Skelos, on Tuesday on charges of bribery, extortion and conspiracy, according to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Courthouse News Service and a press release.
Dean Skelos was accused of using his power as a lawmaker to pressure companies to give his son consulting work and a no-show job. The retrial differed from the first in a key way: Dean Skelos decided to testify, telling jurors that he asked many people to help his son, who had a history of substance abuse and behaviorial problems.
The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had vacated the 2015 convictions last September because jury instructions had wrongly defined what constitutes an “official act” that can support a bribery conviction. The appeals court cited a 2016 Supreme Court decision that said an official can’t be convicted for taking bribes unless he or she takes action or makes a decision on a matter involving a formal exercise of government power.
Dean Skelos was disbarred after the initial conviction.