Former NY state senate leader appeals five-year prison sentence

John Sampson

Lawyers for fallen former New York State Senator John Sampson, who was convicted with the help of US-based Guyanese businessman Ed Ahmad, are appealing the recent five-year sentence handed down against him last month, the New York Post has reported.

According to a report in the newspaper, Sampson, 51, was sentenced following a series of protracted legal proceedings that wound through the justice system for nearly three years. He had faced up to 20 years in prison following his July, 2015 conviction on charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and lying to federal agents.