ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A longtime New York state senator who helped lead its Republican majority before his conviction last year for lying to the FBI has died.
Tom Libous, who was 63, died Tuesday after a prolonged battle with cancer. His death was announced in a statement from his family.
Libous lost his seat as the Senate's deputy majority leader after being convicted in July. Prosecutors say he lied to agents asking how his son Matthew got a $150,000-a-year law firm job.
The conviction cost the Binghamton lawyer his Senate seat. He was sentenced to six months of house arrest and a $50,000 fine.
He was first elected 1988.
Senate Leader John Flanagan called Libous a "larger-than-life figure" in the Southern Tier who championed his constituents and was respected by both parties.