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Thomas Libous
Thomas W. Libous (b. April 16, 1953 - d. May 3, 2016) was a Republican member of the New York State Senate, representing District 52 from 1988 to July 22, 2015. He was removed from office after he was found guilty of lying to the FBI.[1] He died on May 3, 2016, after a long battle with prostate cancer.[2]
On July 1, 2014, Libous was indicted on one count of lying to an FBI agent. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $50,000 bail.[3] On July 22, 2015, Libous was found guilty of lying to the FBI.[1] More information on this case can be found here.
Libous served as deputy majority leader for Legislative Operations before he was removed from office. He was a councilman for the City of Binghamton from 1984 to 1988.
Biography
Libous graduated from Broome Community College and earned his B.S. from the State University of New York, Utica. His professional experience includes working for Chase-Lincoln First Bank from 1975 to 1983 and as vice president of marketing for Johnson City Publishing.[4]
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Libous served on the following committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Rules, Vice Chair |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Libous served on the following committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Rules, Vice Chair |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Libous served on this committee:
| New York committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Rules |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Libous served on these committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Elections |
| • Transportation |
Issues
Marijuana Legislation
In June 2012, Libous opposed a proposal by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) that would have decriminalized the display of small amounts of marijuana. While possessing small amounts of marijuana is legal in the state, showing it to a police officer is not legal. Ultimately, Republicans were able to defeat the measure.[5]
Elections
2014
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on September 9, 2014. The general election took place November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was July 10, 2014. Anndrea L. Starzak was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Thomas Libous defeated Denver Jones in the Republican primary. Starzak ran on the Working Families Party ticket and Libous ran on the Conservative Party and Independence Party of New York State tickets. Libous defeated Starzak in the general election.[6][7][8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Thomas Libous Incumbent |
59.7% | 46,070 | |
| Democratic | Anndrea L. Starzak | 36.2% | 27,980 | |
| None | Blank | 3.7% | 2,872 | |
| None | Scattering | 0.3% | 245 | |
| None | Void | 0.1% | 45 | |
| Total Votes | 77,212 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Thomas Libous Incumbent |
64.1% | 7,563 |
| Denver Jones | 35.9% | 4,232 |
| Total Votes | 11,795 | |
2012
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2012
Libous ran in the 2012 election for New York State Senate District 52. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary on September 13, 2012. He also ran on the Conservative Party and Independence Party of New York State tickets. Libous defeated John P. Orzel (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[9][10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Libous Incumbent |
63.9% | 71,912 | |
| Democratic | John P. Orzel | 33.6% | 37,856 | |
| Working Families Party | Barrett D. Esworthy | 2.5% | 2,798 | |
| Total Votes | 112,566 | |||
2010
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2010
Libous was unopposed in the September 14 Republican primary. He defeated John Orzel (D) in the November 2 general election.[12][13][14]
| New York State Senate, General Election Results, District 52 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Thomas Libous (R)
|
52,700 | |||
| John Orzel (D) | 33,346 | |||
2008
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2008
On November 4, 2008, Thomas Libous ran unopposed and won the election for New York State Senate, District 52 with 77,078 votes.[15][16]
| New York State Senate, District 52 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Thomas Libous (R)
|
77,078 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of New York scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2015
In 2015, the 201st New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 7 through June 25.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on legislation concerning businesses, jobs, and the economy.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- EPL/Environmental Advocates: 2015 Environmental Scorecard
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their legislative and budget votes as well as sponsorships of bills during the session.
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the 200th New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 8 to June 19, 2014.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the 200th New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 9 to December 31.
|
2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2012, the 199th New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 4 to June 22, 2012.
|
2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
|---|
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In 2011, the 199th New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 5 to June 20, 2011.
|
Noteworthy events
Corruption
In May 2012, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics sent Libous a letter informing him of an investigation against him. He stated, "I will fully cooperate with any review that JCOPE wants to do and I would hope they would do it in an expeditious manner."[17]
The investigation stemmed from a complaint filed by Binghampton Mayor Matt Ryan asking JCOPE to look into comments made by Anthony Mangone in a federal trial. Mangone, a former attorney, said Libous asked him to give Libous' son a job with his law firm and in return Libous would help the firm get business. Libous denied such charges, saying, "There was no quid pro quo arrangement with the law firm. I made no promises and nothing transpired between me or my office and the firm."[17]
Libous said the move by Ryan, a Democrat, was politically motivated as there had been speculation that Ryan was considering a run for Libous' seat. In response Ryan said, "Senator Libous has been doing a lot of polling lately about different issues. I think that one question he should ask his constituents is, "Do you believe my story? Do you believe that I knew nothing about it?" And I guarantee you, a very high percentage of people would say no, we don't believe you."[18]
On July 1, 2014, Libous was indicted by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara on one count of lying to an FBI agent. The indictment alleged that Libous hid "material facts" from investigators looking into the hiring of his son by a law firm. Libous pleaded not guilty in court and was released hours later on $50,000 bail.[3][19]
Libous' son, Matthew, faced six charges over allegations that he hindered FBI investigations and did not report more than $28,000 in income and personal expenses paid on his behalf. Such expenses included internet dating subscriptions and trips to casinos.[3] Matthew was convicted on three felony counts of subscribing to false tax returns, though was acquitted of the charge of obstructing the IRS.[20] On May 18, 2015, Libous' son was sentenced to six months in jail, ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and sentenced to 100 hours of community service.[21]
On July 22, 2015, Libous was found guilty of lying to the FBI and was removed from office.[1]
On November 24, 2015, Libous was sentenced to two years of probation, six months of house arrest and a $50,000 fine. He avoided jail time because he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. He could have faced up to five years in prison.[22]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Libous and his wife, Frances, have two children.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Thomas Libous New York Senate. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- New York State Senate
- Senate Committees
- New York State Legislature
- New York state legislative districts
External links
- Thomas Libous' personal website
- Profile from Open States
- Thomas Libous on Facebook
- Thomas Libous on Twitter
- Campaign contributions via Follow the Money
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 NY Times, "Thomas Libous, New York State Senator, Is Convicted of Lying to F.B.I.," July 22, 2015
- ↑ nbcnewyork.com, "Former NY State Senator Tom Libous Dies After Cancer Battle," accessed May 3, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Buffalo News, "Key GOP senator indicted in Albany scheme to help son," July 1, 2014
- ↑ Vote Smart, "Tom Libous' Biography," accessed November 5, 2023
- ↑ New York Times, "Divide in Albany Kills Proposal on Marijuana," June 19, 2012
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "Certification for the September 9, 2014, State Primary Election," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "Primary results for September 9, 2014," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "NYS Board of Elections Senate Election Returns November 4, 2014," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Candidate List for the September 13, 2012, State Primary Election," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Official September 13, 2012, Primary Results," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Official Senate Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ New York Times, "NY state legislative election results," accessed February 11, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Official Primary results from September 14, 2010," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Official Primary results from September 14, 2010," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Official Primary results from September 9, 2008," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Official Senate Election Returns November 4, 2008," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Times Union, "Libous the target of ethics inquiry," May 14, 2012
- ↑ WICZ, "Mayor Matt Ryan Speaks Out on Libous' Ethics Investigation," July 18, 2012(Archived)
- ↑ Press Connects, "Sen. Tom Libous asks for 'mercy' for convicted son," accessed April 23, 2015
- ↑ pressconnects.com, "Libous' son convicted of tax fraud," January 26, 2015
- ↑ NY Times, "Son of Indicted New York State Senator Receives 6-Month Sentence," accessed May 26, 2015
- ↑ NY Times, "Thomas Libous, Ex-New York State Senator, Gets Probation and Home Confinement in Corruption Case," accessed November 24, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
New York State Senate District 52 1989–July 22, 2015 |
Succeeded by Fred Akshar (R) |
