Paul J. Silvester

In 2003 Silvester was ordered to serve 28 more months in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office commented that “The sentence imposed today is not only reflective of Paul Silvester’s criminal wrongdoing but also of his admission of guilt and substantial cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of other individuals involved in this treasurer’s office scandal.’’ Post-release he went to work at Harrison, New York based metal trading company PM Recovery, Inc. and as of 2019 was their Executive Vice President of Finance.

Paul Silvester is the son of George and Eva Silvester of Hartford, Connecticut. Silvester was married to West Hartford lawyer Christine A. Olson but the couple divorced in 2002 while he was on trial, they have two children together.

Soon after he retired the FBI and SEC began investigating him and his close associates while in office. Silvester’s campaign was referred by the United States Attorney to the State Elections Enforcement Commission for fundraising irregularities. The commission found that during Silvester’s 1998 campaign a number of individuals connected to the campaign and Silvester had made illegal contributions to Paul Silvester for State Treasurer. The commission assessed multiple civil penalties against those responsible as well as requiring parties to enter into a consent agreement.

In 1997 Silvester was appointed as the State Treasurer by Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland when incumbent Treasurer Christopher B. Burnham retired. At the time Silvester was the youngest State Treasurer in the country. He retired in 2000 after losing his seat in an election to Republican Denise Nappier in 1999.