Dean Skelos' Conviction Overturned By Federal Court

A federal appeals court overturned the conviction of former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son, Adam. The two were sentenced to jail in 2015 in a corruption case that prosecutors said got Adam Skelos money and no-show jobs.

According to the New York Times, the appeal was successful due to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that changed and narrowed the definition of what constitutes public corruption.

Skelos and his son, both Rockville Centre residents, were arrested and charged in 2015 with public corruption. Prosecutors said that, nearly as soon as he became majority leader, Skelos used his power and position to secure money and jobs for his son.

In December of 2015, the pair was convicted of three counts of extortion under color of official right, two counts of soliciting bribes in connection with a federal program and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. The elder Skelos was sentenced to five years in jail and a $500,000 fine. His son received a harsher sentence of six and a half years behind bars.

But immediately after their sentencing, the Skelos' lawyer informed the judged that they planned to appeal, citing a pending Supreme Court case that could work in their favor. And it did. The case narrowed the definition of public corruption. It also allowed the conviction of former Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver, who was on trial around the same time as Skelos, to be overturned in July.

"While we are disappointed in the decision and will weigh our appellate options, we look forward to a prompt retrial where we will have another opportunity to present the overwhelming evidence of Dean Skelos and Adam Skelos’s guilt and again give the public the justice it deserves," said Acting United States Attorney Joon H. Kim. "Cleaning up corruption is never easy, and that is certainly true for corruption in New York State government. But we are as committed as ever to doing everything we can to keep our government honest. That is what we will do in this prosecution as well."

What Officials Are Saying

Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas: "The Second Circuit’s order should not detract from the continuing need to embrace comprehensive and meaningful reforms to fortify our government contracting processes from manipulation, self-dealing and pay-to-play corruption. After Dean Skelos was charged in 2015, my office thoroughly reviewed Nassau’s contracting processes and recommended the establishment of an independent inspector general and modern conflict-checking procedures to guard against corruption and abuse. The vulnerabilities in Nassau County government exposed by our review remain substantially unaddressed, the Board of Ethics is conflicted and lacks a quorum, and the taxpayers are ill-served every day that our elected leaders fail to enact the reforms to prevent the corruption that continues to compromise public confidence in our government."

State Senator Todd Kaminksy: "Today’s ruling shakes society's faith in our justice system to the core. The lurid details underlying the case — where county contracts and legislation were traded for personal favors — were laid out for all to see, leaving the public now to wonder whether even the most brazen acts are beyond the grasp of the law. Today’s ruling is proof that we cannot rely solely on federal prosecutors to clean up our state’s corruption. We need stronger anti-corruption laws and greater powers to local district attorneys to enforce them now. The time for complacency and waiting for others to take on corruption must end."

State Senator John Brooks: "The overturned conviction of former Senate Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos proves one thing: our laws are weak and allow corruption to run rampant. Until Albany makes real, meaningful ethics reforms, public officials will be allowed to violate the public's trust and misuse their tax dollars. The Legislature must act, and they must act now."

Photo: Richard Drew/Associated Press