N.Y. State Senator Found Guilty of Obstructing U.S. Embezzlement Probe

A New York state senator was convicted on Friday for seeking to obstruct a federal investigation into whether he had embezzled proceeds from sales of foreclosed properties, in one of a series of recent U.S. prosecutions of state lawmakers. 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. 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.