Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver died Monday at the age of 77. The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Silver served two decades as Assembly Speaker. Silver's leadership role came to an end in 2015 after his arrest on federal corruption charges. He was later convicted of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in referral payments from a law firm that he steered those wanting to do business with the state to retain. After retrials and appeals, Silver was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.
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