Lawyers for former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver are arguing in federal court that the latest indictment accusing their client of bribes, kickbacks and extortion does not allege any federal crimes and should be dismissed.

Briefing is now complete on motions to dismiss charges of theft of honest services, mail fraud and wire fraud, two counts of Hobbs Act extortion and money laundering ahead of a November trial before Southern District Judge Valerie Caproni.

In recent memoranda and a letter to Caproni, defense lawyers Steven Molo of MoloLamken and Joel Cohen, of counsel to Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, renewed their attack on the government's theory of the case that began when Silver was arrested in January and then indicted. The defense claims the government is criminalizing behavior that is permitted for a lawyer-legislator in New York and should not be charged in a public corruption case.