ALBANY — Former State Sen. Thomas Libous, one of the most powerful Republicans in the Legislature before he was found guilty of lying to the FBI, died Tuesday.
Libous, who was 63, had been battling cancer that was first found in his prostate in 2009 and later spread to his lungs. He had recently been moved to a hospice facility near Binghamton and was surrounded by family when he died, a spokesman for the senator said.
“They say time has a way of easing pain and loss, but forgive us if we mourn a little longer and a little deeper over the passing of this good man,” Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-Suffolk County) said in a statement. “Quite simply, to know Tom Libous was to love him.”
Libous served 14 terms in the Legislature representing the Binghamton area, eventually rising to the rank of deputy majority leader — the Senate’s second most powerful figure. He was widely respected by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and viewed as one of Albany’s most capable and affable legislators.
“He was on the wrong side of the aisle, but he was always able to work across the aisle cooperatively,” said Senate Deputy Minority Leader Michael Gianaris (D-Queens), who shared a love of the Mets with Libous and even took in a game with him at Citi Field.
Libous’ career was derailed in 2014 after he was indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on charges of lying to FBI agents who were investigating his efforts to get a job for his son at a politically connected law firm in Westchester.
A jury convicted Libous in July 2015, forcing his immediate ouster from the Senate. Because of his deteriorating health, he was sentenced to only six months of home confinement.
With Kenneth Lovett
