Former New York Senate majority leader Dean Skelos and his son Adam were indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday on charges including extortion, wire fraud, conspiracy and bribe solicitation — with the jury finding probable cause that Skelos monetized his office and secured benefits for his son.
The indictment largely corresponds to the complaint brought against the father and son — with the additional accusation that Dean took over $100,000 in payments and health benefits from a medical malpractice insurer that provided Adam with a no-show job, the New York Times reported.
U.S. District Attorney Preet Bharara’s lawsuit centers on Skelos’ alleged catering to companies that were directly or indirectly paying his son — including Leonard Litwin’s Glenwood Management, Tishman Speyer, and and Arizona-based AbTech Industries.
Skelos was arrested May 4 and has maintained that he is innocent. He stepped down from his post a week after his arrest, and several days later took a leave of absence from a law firm where he served “of counsel” but allegedly did no legal work. [NYT] — Tess Hofmann