The second-ranked Republican in the New York state Senate has been convicted of lying to the FBI about arranging a high-paying job for his son.
Under state law, the felony conviction means Sen. Thomas Libous loses his seat. A federal jury found him guilty Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Libous, the Senate's deputy majority leader, lied in 2010 to agents who were investigating government corruption. The agents were asking how Libous' son Matthew got a $150,000-a-year job with a White Plains law firm in 2005.
The prosecution's key witness said Libous promised to deliver business to the White Plains law firm in exchange for hiring his son. He also said Libous arranged for an Albany lobbying firm to pay a third of his son's salary.
The witness, however, acknowledged a criminal history.
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