By Tom Hays

Associated Press

New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who has been one of the most powerful men in Albany for more than two decades, was arrested Thursday on public corruption charges.

FBI spokesman Peter Donald confirmed the 70-year-old Silver was taken into custody around 8 a.m. at FBI headquarters in New York City. The U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement that it would “announce public corruption charges” against Silver at an early afternoon briefing.

Silver was expected to make a court appearance later Thursday. His spokesman, Michael Whyland, declined to comment before the arrest.

The arrest sent shock waves through New York’s Capitol as a new legislative session has begun, and it came just a day after Silver shared the stage with Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his State of the State address.