Former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son were indicted today on federal corruption charges brought May 4 that accuse them of using the senator’s influence to enrich his son’s career.
Skelos, R-Nassau County, resigned as majority leader soon after his arrest by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, and he and his 32-year-old son, Adam, have proclaimed their innocence.
They turned themselves in after Bharara filed a criminal complaint against them. The next step was the indictment.
The charges include conspiracy, extortion and solicitation of bribes.
Skelos, first elected majority leader in 2008, was part of the so-called “three men in a room” — the Assembly speaker, Senate leader and governor who hash out the state budget and legislation behind closed doors.
Prosecutors have focused on whether Skelos used his influence to benefit AbTech Industries, an Arizona company that hired his son and won a contract in Nassau County despite not being the low bidder.
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
