Former Speaker Silver Disbarred 4 Months After Conviction

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Former New York state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has lost his license to practice law, four months after he was convicted of fraud and extortion.

Silver was disbarred Tuesday by the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court in Manhattan.

Silver, 72, had been one of the most powerful men in Albany – along with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former Senate leader Dean Skelos, who together with Silver were sometimes called the "three men in a room."

But Silver was convicted on Nov. 30 in a $5 million corruption case. Prosecutors said he traded favors to enrich himself. He is scheduled to be sentenced April 13.

Silver's attorneys argued that the disbarment should be delayed until a federal judge decides on his motion for a new trial.

But the appeals court denied the request and said Silver's name should be ``stricken from the roll of attorneys'' in New York.

Silver served as leader of the state Assembly from 1994 through early 2015.

Skelos and his son Adam Skelos were convicted in a separate case in December.

The once-powerful Republican from Long Island was accused of using his office to extort about $300,000 in salary and other benefits for his son. Prosecutors also alleged Skelos accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from developers in exchange for political favors.

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