John L. Sampson, a New York state senator of Guyanese parentage and a former leader of the Democratic caucus, was taken into custody this morning by US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents following a public corruption probe, according to a spokesman for the FBI.
The New York Times today reported that Sampson is accused of embezzling about US$440,000 in funds pertaining to the sale of foreclosed properties that he kept for himself instead of returning to court officials in Brooklyn. Sampson, the NYT said, was serving as a referee in the sale of the properties.
The report said that Sampson, who represents Brooklyn, becomes the latest lawmaker to be accused of abusing his office for personal gain. The charges facing him include embezzlement, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
The NYT said that the charges also signal a widening of a probe that has already snared Shirley L. Huntley, a former state senator from Queens who has pleaded guilty to stealing taxpayer money through a nonprofit organization she was running.
The NYT said that the charges against Sampson appear to pertain to conversations he had last year with Huntley where he is said to have sought help for a businessman who was offering bribes in return for help to expand his business at Kennedy International Airport. The airport is in Huntley’s district.
Sampson recently appeared on the radar of law enforcers over his relationship with Guyanese businessman Edul Ahmad, a Queens real estate broker whom he represented as a law client. Ahmad pleaded guilty in federal court in October to a mortgage fraud scheme and has also been at the centre of a loan scandal involving Representative Gregory W. Meeks, a Queens Democrat. Ahmad is awaiting sentencing.
Sampson was first elected to the Senate in 1996.