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 John Sampson, 50, a Democrat who has represented southeastern
Brooklyn, New York, since 1997, was found guilty by a federal jury
in Brooklyn on three counts, including obstruction, but acquitted on
six others.
The verdict was confirmed by a spokeswoman for Acting Brooklyn U.S.
Attorney Kelly Currie. Sampson's lawyer, Nick Akerman, did not
respond to requests for comment.
The case against Sampson, a former minority leader of the state
Senate, was among a series of prosecutions of politicians based in
New York's capital of Albany, which in the last year has seen the
leaders of both of its legislative chambers indicted for corruption.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan earlier this year brought charges
against Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader
Dean Skelos, forcing both to leave their leadership posts, though
they remain in office as senators.
 On Wednesday, a federal jury in White Plains found Thomas Libous,
the deputy majority leader of the Senate, guilty of lying to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation during a public corruption probe.
Prosecutors had initially charged Sampson in 2013 with embezzling
$440,000 from escrow accounts related to Brooklyn properties that he
controlled in his role as a court-appointed referee in foreclosure
proceedings.
He was accused of using the money to help pay expenses for an
unsuccessful 2005 primary bid for Brooklyn district attorney.
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But U.S. District Judge Dora Irizarry dismissed the embezzlement
charges in October on statute of limitations grounds, leaving
prosecutors to take him to trial on charges that Sampson attempted
to impede their investigation.
Prosecutors said that in 2006, Sampson asked an associate in the
real-estate industry, Edul Ahmad, for $188,500 to help repay some of
the stolen money, out of fear it could subject him to prosecution.
After Ahmad was indicted in 2011 as part of a mortgage-fraud scheme,
Sampson attempted to prevent him from cooperating with authorities
and sought information about that case from a paralegal in the
Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's office, Sam Noel.
Both Ahmad and Noel ultimately pleaded guilty to federal charges and
testified at trial against Sampson.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Bill Rigby)
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