It's been reported as pure coincidence, but sentencing dates and times for convicted state house leader Dean Skelos and Sheldon Silver will likely occur simultaneously.

After having his original sentencing date set for yesterday (Mon, 3/14/16), former New York State Senator majority leader Dean Skelos had the penalty portion of his conviction rescheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday April 13. That's the same time and date that had been planned for the sentencing of ex-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who was also convicted on corruption charges, the New York Times reports:

A court filing shows that the new sentencing time for Mr. Skelos, a Republican from Long Island, and his son, Adam, who were convicted on corruption charges in December, came after the United States attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York wrote to Judge Wood, proposing the new date and time after saying they had consulted with the Skeloses’ lawyers.

Was there some strategic reason for the two sentencing hearings to occur at the same moment? A government official said on Monday that the timing was purely coincidental. And a federal court spokesman added: “There is no master calendar. Each judge is responsible for their own scheduling.”

Skelos and his son Adam face the possibility of 20 years behind bars on each of the extortion and fraud charges they were convicted of, along upto 10 years for each for their bribery convictions, the Times has reported. Silver, meanwhile, faces 20 years for each conviction in six of the seven charges he was found guilty of. However, in both cases, the 'upto' in the sentencing guidelines are just that, guidelines, according to Gary Craig of DemocratandChronicle.com.

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