Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver sentenced to 7 years in prison

Ex-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver got a bit of mercy Friday when a judge sentenced him to seven years in prison for a scheme that got him $4 million in illicit legal fees.

Silver, 74, slouched in his courtroom chair as Manhattan Federal Judge Valerie Caproni said he’d serve five years less than the 12-year sentence she imposed in May 2016 on the same charges.

The feds had asked Caproni to sentence Silver, once one of New York’s most powerful politicians, to a term “substantially in excess” of 10 years.

“He is exactly what too many people think all politicians are. And that is deeply corrupt,” Caproni said.

“This crime is driven by unmitigated greed.”

But she also felt a sorry for him.

Caproni said the case has clearly taken a toll on him — “visually, he’s aged more than a few years,” she said.

The judge also said she was also “struck by the breadth of support” from Silver’s family and friends, and said that when it came to constituent service he was “a gifted politician who went above and beyond the call of duty many times.”