A veteran lawmaker from Syracuse has been named deputy majority leader of the New York state Senate after the previous No. 2 ranking lawmaker was convicted of lying to the FBI.

Republican Sen. John DeFrancisco's new position was announced Thursday by Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan.

DeFrancisco replaces Republican Sen. Tom Libous, who automatically lost his Senate seat when he was convicted last week of lying about using his influence to help his son get a law firm job.

The 68-year-old DeFrancisco is an attorney and was first elected in 1992. He leads the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

Earlier this year DeFrancisco lost a bid for Senate majority leader to Flanagan. Previous Senate Leader Dean Skelos resigned his leadership position in May after he was arrested on corruption charges.