NEW YORK (AP) — Opening statements are set to begin in the retrial of ex-New York Senate leader Dean Skelos (SKEH’-lohs) and his son on corruption charges.
Former New York Senate leader Dean Skelos arrives for his retrial, Tuesday, June 19, 2018, at federal court in New York. Skelos was convicted by a jury in 2015 of extortion, conspiracy and bribery. A federal appeals court later tossed the conviction, citing a Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the legal definition of corruption. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Skelos and his son, Adam, were convicted in 2015 of extortion, conspiracy and bribery. Dean Skelos, a 70-year-old Republican, was sentenced to five years in prison. His son got 6½ years. But neither served time.
Prosecutors said the once-powerful politician badgered companies that needed his political sway to funnel more than $300,000 to his son through consulting work and a no-show job.
A new trial was ordered by a federal appeals court in Manhattan after the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the law regarding public corruption. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Opening statements are set to begin on Wednesday. The trial is likely to last a month.
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