More Charges Added Against Former New York Senate Leader Skelos and Son

The two new charges – another charge of Extortion Under Color of Official Light and another charge of Solicitation of Bribes and Gratuities – are related to a malpractice insurance administrator that Adam Skelos worked for.

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest indictment against a former state Senate leader says he pressured a malpractice insurance company that wanted to discuss legislation with him into hiring his son and then supported his son after he bragged to his new boss that he didn’t have to show up for work because of his father’s powerful post.

Dean and Adam Skelos were arrested in early May to face a six-count indictment that charged the Republican lawmaker with performing legislative favors for companies with business before the state in an attempt to enrich his 32-year-old son.

“Shortly after that phone call, Adam Skelos called back Supervisor-1 and threatened to “smash in” Supervisor-1’s head, and told Supervisor-1 that Supervisor-1 would “never amount to anything, ‘ and that ‘guys like” Supervisor-1 ‘couldn’t shine [Adam Skelos’s] shoes, ‘” the indictment reads. It says he boasted he didn’t have to because his father was Senate majority leader.

The younger Mr. Skelos went on to say he didn’t need to show up to work because his father was the Majority Leader of the State Senate, according to the indictment. The superseding indictment also goes over those alleged charges as well, including the payments and bribes through a real estate developer and an environmental technology company.

The CEO believed he “could lose access to Dean Skelos and Dean Skelos could take adverse action on legislation important” to him if he didn’t keep his son employed, reported by the indictment.

A week after he was hired, as said by the indictment, Adam Skelos’ supervisor called called him to set up a meeting about his schedule, “given that Adam Skelos had not reported for work for more than one hour during the previous four days”. He then called up his father to complain that he was being harassed at work.

Dean Skelos has said he will fight the charges and he and his son will be vindicated. Both men have declared their innocence. Though the arrangement was ultimately extended through March of this year, the company “never sold one medical malpractice policy to a single doctor” as a result of Adam Skelos’ work, the indictment states.

In November 2012 after negotiations with Glenwood allegedly supervised by Dean Skelos, AbTech agreed to employ Adam Skelos as a government relations consultant receiving $4,000 per month, “plus the potential for millions of dollars in performance-based commissions”, according to the updated indictment.