Sins of the father and son

Dean and Adam Skelos sentenced on corruption charges

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At his sentencing hearing on May 12, Adam Skelos acknowledged what many in Rockville Centre have been saying since he and his father, Dean, were convicted of corruption in December: He ruined his father’s life.

Adam, 33, choked back tears as he read a statement to U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood, who was about to decide his fate as well as that of his father. “When I was arrested with my dad, I saw the destruction of the only person who showed me unconditional love,” he read. To his father, he said, “You’re sitting here today because of me.” He begged the judge to show his father some leniency and give a harsher sentence to him.

The teary-eyed plea, however, was not enough to persuade Wood to sentence the Skeloses to community service, as the defense asked. Instead, the elder Skelos was sentenced to five years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Adam was sentenced to six and a half years behind bars. The two were also ordered to repay $334,120 that Adam was paid as a result of their scheme.

A date for their incarceration to begin has yet to be set.

It was an ignominious end to the career of Dean Skelos, who, for the 30 years before he was arrested, served his constituents well and was respected by his community and his peers in Albany.

That fact was not lost on Wood. “It is only fair to acknowledge your crime was preceded by many years of good work,” she said before announcing his sentence. “Once you became Senate majority leader, you started to ignore what I would call your moral compass.”

The crimes for which the Skeloses were convicted began in 2011, almost as soon as Dean became the majority leader. He secured a job for his son at Physicians’ Reciprocal Insurers in Roslyn, but Adam rarely showed up for work and was accused of being disruptive when he did. In testimony, his supervisor said that Adam threatened him when he tried to get him to actually do his job.

Later, prosecutors said, Glenwood Management made a payment of $20,000 to Adam, though there was no work done on his behalf for the company. Witnesses for both businesses said that Dean Skelos pressured them to make sure Adam got paid.

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