ALBANY — Sheldon Silver’s campaign account may be tapped out, but another former senior lawmaker fighting a federal corruption conviction still has nearly $900,000 left to spend on his appeal.
Records show that former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’s campaign is flush with $843,301 after he shelled out another $50,000 to his criminal defense team at the firm of Gage, Spencer & Fleming.
In all, Skelos has spent more than $1.6 million given to him by campaign contributors to battle charges of bribery, extortion and conspiracy.
He was convicted at trial and sentenced to five years in prison in May 2016. His son, Adam, got 6 1/2 years.
Both have filed appeals.
Their hopes were buoyed last week when an appeals court overturned the conviction of Silver, the former Assembly speaker, on separate corruption charges.
Silver spent more than $3 million accumulated in his campaign on legal fees.
Prosecutors have said they plan to re-try him.
Elected officials are allowed to use campaign contributions to fight charges they incur while in office, a practice condemned by good government groups.