Skelos seeks leniency before re-sentencing after conviction on corruption charges

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Former State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos is seeking leniency ahead of his re-sentencing on corruption charges, as his lawyers reportedly said that he is struggling with depression after losing his reputation and his relationship with his son Adam.

The father and son from Rockville Centre were convicted on corruption, extortion and conspiracy charges in 2015, after the elder Skelos allegedly used his political power to secure work for Adam at no- or low-show jobs. The two returned to court in June after their convictions were overturned last year.

Dean and Adam were sentenced to five and six and a half years in prison, respectively, in their first trial. They had been out on bail since last August, when a court order by U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood released them because there was “a substantial question whether jurors received the correct instructions to make an accurate ruling.”

Dean’s defense attorney, Robert Gage, said during the retrial that Skelos admitted to helping his son, but that there was no criminal exchange, or “corrupt trade.” Dean later took the stand, which he did not do in the first trial.

He and Adam were convicted in July after a four-week retrial and they are set to be re-sentenced on Oct. 24.