Thomas Libous leaves the federal courthouse in…
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Jurors heard opening statements Tuesday in the case of Sen.
The prosecutor said Libous lied when he denied any involvement or knowledge of his son’s $150,000-a-year job with a law firm.
“Nobody has accused him of kickbacks, bribery” or a charge in connection with getting his son a job, he said.
About $35,212 since mid-January went to William Fanciullo, a former federal prosecutor who is now an Albany-based defense attorney.
The senator’s son was convicted in January of three counts of tax fraud, and was sentenced in May to six months in prison, His lawyer, John Meringolo, said Tuesday he planned to appeal and that Matthew Libous would report to prison later this month. Dean Skelos and Democratic Assemblyman Sheldon Silver. He has said he is dying from prostate cancer that has spread to his spine.
The first witness was Richard Ostroff, a partner in the lobbying firm who signed the checks to the law firm. Allee acknowledged to the jurors that Mangone has pleaded guilty to charges of bribing politicians and evading taxes and was cooperating in hopes of lightening his sentence.
But they didn’t call in Daddy to rein in his son until Matthew crossed a more personal line – by putting the moves on another lawyer’s wife, Allee said. “He told the firm that he would send so much work to their law firm that they could build a new wing” if they hired his son.
His father’s lawyer, Paul Derohannesian, insisted that all Tom Libous did was tell the Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in 2010 that he hadn’t done anything wrong.
The payments continued even after Matthew Libous left the law firm in August 2006, prosecutors said.
Neither side’s opening statement referred to Libous’ physical condition.
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Libous’ campaign spent about $113,000 on attorneys a year ago, the Board of Elections filings show.
