NEW YORK _ An appeals court on Tuesday tossed half of the corruption case against former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
Silver, 75, will have a chance to argue for a reduced sentence on the charges in the case that still stand under the ruling by Manhattan's federal appeals court.
The three-judge panel overturned Silver's conviction on charges he secretly sent $500,000 in state money to support mesothelioma research by a Columbia University doctor.
In return, the doctor gave Silver the names of some of his patients, which Silver handed over to a Manhattan law firm in return for millions in legal fees.
The judges upheld Silver's conviction on charges that he secretly took legal fees from real estate developers, and on charges of money laundering.
Federal prosecutors had no immediate comment on the ruling. Silver's appellate lawyer could not immediately be reached.
Silver's first conviction in November 2015 was overturned on appeal. Tuesday's ruling was on his second conviction in May 2018.
After his second conviction, federal Judge Valerie Caproni sentenced Silver to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release.
As speaker of the state Assembly from 1994 to 2015, Silver _ elected from a district in lower Manhattan _ was one of the state's most powerful elected officials.
