Sheldon Silver, NY power broker sent to prison, dead at 77

By MICHAEL HILL and MICHAEL BALSAMO
Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has died while serving a prison sentence in a corruption case. The federal Bureau of Prisons said Silver died Monday. It said the official cause of death would be determined by the medical examiner. The Democrat was one of the most powerful figures in New York state government for two decades before his conviction on corruption charges. He was sentenced to more than six years in prison for using his clout in state government to benefit real estate developers. The conviction ended a four-decade career in the Assembly.