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Bharara: Corruption work is ongoing
Jan 23, 2015 6:42 am
Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said the arrest Thu., Jan. 22, of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver goes to “the core of the problem” in state government corruption: “Lack of transparency, lack of accountability and lack of principle, joined with an overabundance of greed, cronyism and self-dealing.” In a press conference Thursday afternoon, Bharara laid out the case against Silver. He said it emerged in part from materials collected by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Moreland Commission panel on public corruption. That panel was shuttered in April 2014 midway through its planned lifespan. In the case against Silver, the U.S. Attorney is alleging as a state official Silver “...sat back and collected millions of dollars by cashing in on his public office and his political influence.” Silver's attorneys called the charges "meritless," and said their client is looking forward to responding to the allegations in court. The government has seized approximately $3.8 million Silver held in eight different bank accounts at six different banks. Bharara said the corruption work is ongoing. He said, "“We will keep at it,...no one is above the law, no matter who you are, or who know, or how much money you have.” Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.