New York taxpayers may have to pay more than $700,000 to cover the legal expenses of a state lawmaker whose conviction on charges of lying to the FBI was vacated after his death.
Former Republican Sen. Thomas Libous, of Binghamton, was convicted in 2015 of lying about what prosecutors said was a scheme to funnel money from a lobbyist to his son.
Libous died of cancer in 2016 before he completed his appeal. The conviction was later overturned by an appeals court, which also ordered $50,000 in fines be returned to his estate.
The Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin reports that under New York law the state is required to pay the legal bills of government workers or lawmakers who beat criminal charges related to their official duties.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
