A childhood friend of Sheldon Silver testified on Tuesday in the former Assembly speaker’s corruption retrial about becoming ensnared in a fee-sharing arrangement with the once-powerful politician.
Speaking under immunity, lawyer Jay Arthur Goldberg told a Manhattan federal jury that he was “delighted” when Silver first began sending him business from Glenwood Management, a large real-estate company.
Goldberg immediately asked if it was Ok to take referral business from the Lower East Side Democrat, which resulted in Goldberg sharing the fees he earned doing Glenwood’s tax work with Silver.
“I said, ‘Is this all right, Shelly?’ ” Goldberg asked.
“Of course,” he said Silver responded. “I’m a lawyer.”
Goldberg, who has known Silver for 65 years, said he had previously paid referral fees to lawyers who sent business his way, but asked Silver if it was legal in this case because of the pol’s status as speaker.
“I’ve given referral fees, but never to the speaker. I wanted to know. I relied on him because I knew him to be an honorable man,” Goldberg said.
Roughly $700,000 of the alleged $4 million in illegal kickbacks Silver is charged with receiving came from his arrangement with Goldberg, who gave Silver a cut of any earnings Goldberg’s firm made from two real-estate companies referred to Goldberg by Silver.
The companies, the Witkoff Group and Glenwood Management, also lobbied Silver over their business interests, including legislation.
Silver, 74, is on trial for the second time in three years on charges that he sold the influence of his office in exchange for the kickbacks.
His 2015 conviction was US overturned because of a Supreme Court ruling reversing the bribery conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.
The government is expected to rest its case Wednesday.