Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is juggling multiple scandals:
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1. Silver pal busted
David McGlynn Silver pal William Rapfogel, the hubby of his longtime chief of staff, Judy Rapfogel, is arrested Sept. 24. and charged with stealing $1 million from the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty in an alleged $5 million insurance kickback scam. Investigators find $400,000 in cash stashed in Rapfogel’s homes. The nonprofit has received millions in state grants over the years.
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2. Secret Lopez payout
AP Photo/Mike Groll Silver signed off on a secret $103,080 payout to two sexual-harassment victims of disgraced Assemblyman Vito Lopez last year in an effort to keep a lid on the scandal. But the payment was leaked and the scandal has mushroomed to include four more victims. Two of the six women harassed are now suing Silver.
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3. Empty nest
Chad Rachman Three of Silver’s children used his Grand Street address to vote in his district even though they had long ago moved away — one to New Jersey, The Post revealed last year.
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4. Snack break
ALBANY TIMES UNION STAFF PHOTO The speaker callously ate a snack while Elizabeth Crothers alleged that Michael Boxley, Silver’s chief counsel, raped her in 2001. Silver backed Boxley, and a legislative investigation went nowhere. When a second woman accused Boxley of sexual misconduct, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges. Crothers settled for $500,000 in 2006 after filing suit against Silver and the Assembly.