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In addition to the sentence of home arrest, Libous, 62, of Binghamton, was also sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $50,000.
Libous was convicted in July 2015 after a seven-day trial in White Plains Federal Court of offering to direct business to a the law firm Santangelo, Randazzo & Mangone in exchange for a job for his son, Matthew Libous, and had arranged for an Albany lobbying firm that regularly lobbied him to secretly pay the law firm $50,000 per year to defray the cost of Matthew’s salary and lease of a Range Rover.
The lobbying firm specialized in transportation issues and Libous served as the Chairman of the Senate's Transportation Committee at the time.
Libous was found guilty of making false statements to the FBI when he said:
- He could not recall how Matthew began working at the law firm
- No deals were made to get Matthew a job there
- He was not aware that the lobbying firm paid any part of Matthew’s salary
- He never promised to refer work to the law firm
- He was not involved in Matthew’s decision to work at the law firm
- He had no business or personal relationship with the law firm
- He did know of any relationship between the lobbying firm and the law firm
Trial evidence showed that Libous told a partner of the law firm that they would have to “build a new wing” to accommodate all the new business Libous would refer to them if they hired his son.
United States District Judge Vincent L. Briccetti, who imposed the sentence, stated that Libious’ conduct in lying to the FBI was “disgraceful” and took note of his “total lack of remorse.” Judge Briccetti also said that ordinarily he would have imposed a sentence of six months in prison but he declined to send Libous to prison given his diagnosis of terminal prostate cancer.
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