Ex-Assembly speaker's sentence is set as an example for other elected officials

After being found guilty on charges of corruption, former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's received a 12-year prison sentence in addition to an order to forfeit in a $5.3 million and pay a $1.75 million fine. Silver led the Assembly for more than two decades before he became the centerpiece of one of the state's steepest political falls from grace. "I hope the sentence I impose upon you will make other politicians think twice until their better angels take over, or, if there are no better angels, perhaps the fear of living out his golden years in an orange jumpsuit," said the presiding Judge Valerie Caproni.

More than 30 other state lawmakers have left office under a cloud of criminal or ethical allegations since 2000. More than a dozen have been convicted of charges including authorizing bribes to get on a ballot and diverting money meant for community programs.