John L. Sampson

John Sampson
Member of the New York Senate
from the 19th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1997
Preceded by Howard E. Babbush
Minority Leader of the New York State Senate
In office
January 3, 2011  2013
Preceded by Dean Skelos
Succeeded by Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Democratic Conference Chairman New York State Senate
In office
June 16, 2009  December 31, 2010
Preceded by Office created
Personal details
Born June 17, 1965
Brooklyn, New York
Political party Democratic Party
Alma mater Brooklyn College (B.A.)
Albany Law School (J.D.)

John L. Sampson (born June 17, 1965) represents District 19 in the New York State Senate, which comprises Crown Heights, East Flatbush, as well as portions of Brownsville, Canarsie and Spring Creek Towers.

Education and early legal career

Sampson earned his B.A. in Political Science from Brooklyn College and a J.D. from Albany Law School (class of 1991). He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Albany Law School.[1]

Sampson worked as law clerk with the Department of Environmental Conservation and as a Staff Attorney to the Legal Aid Society of New York.[2]

Since 1993, he has worked as an attorney for the law firm of Alter and Barbaro, Esqs.

Political career

Elected in 1996 to the New York State Senate, Sampson was the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Deputy Majority Leader for State/Federal Relations. He is a former Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Health Committee. Following his indictment, he was removed from committee assignments, ranking positions, and banned from conferencing with senate Democrats.[3]

Sampson has the distinction of being the first African American to serve as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has also served as Chair of the Senate Ethics Committee and the Senate Administrative Regulations Review Commission.[2]

In 2005, John Sampson made an unsuccessful bid to become District Attorney of Kings County, New York, opposing the incumbent DA, Charles "Joe" Hynes.

On June 15, 2009, Sampson was elevated to the leadership of the Democratic Conference of the State Senate. As Conference Chairman, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations and the legislative agenda of the Democratic Caucus. He served in leadership alongside former Majority Leader and Temporary Senate President Malcolm Smith.[4]

On May 6, 2013 Sampson was indicted by a federal grand jury for embezzlement, obstruction of justice, and making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation stemming from alleged theft of $400,000 from the sale of foreclosed homes,[5][6] to which he pled not guilty.[7]

See also

External links

References

  1. "Hon. John L. Sampson '91". Albany Law School. Retrieved 5/6/2013. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Biography: John L. Sampson, New York State Senate, found at http://www.nysenate.gov/senator/john-l-sampson/bio. Accessed May 21, 2012.
  3. Vielkind, Jimmy. "Feds: Sen. John Sampson embezzled". Albany Times Union. Retrieved 5/6/2013. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. Danny Hakim and Jeremy W. Peters, "Judge Refuses to Reverse G.O.P. Takeover of State Senate," New York Times, June 16, 2009, found at New York Times website. Accessed June 16, 2009.
  5. "Senator in Corruption Case Spoke of Silencing Witnesses, Prosecutors Say". New York Times. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  6. "For New York Legislators, Indictments Are No Obstacle to Seeking Re-election". New York Times. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  7. http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/05/new_york_state_sen_john_sampso_1.html
New York State Senate
Preceded by
Howard E. Babbush
New York State Senate
19th District

1997–present
Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
John A. DeFrancisco
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee
20092010
Succeeded by
John Bonacic
Preceded by
Andrew Lanza
Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee
20092010
Succeeded by
Andrew Lanza
Preceded by
New office
Democratic Conference Leader
2009–2010
Succeeded by
José M. Serrano
Preceded by
Dean Skelos
Minority Leader in the New York State Senate
2011–2013
Succeeded by
Andrea Stewart-Cousins