Abscam,sometimes written ABSCAM,was an FBI sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members of the United States Congress and others for bribery and corruption. The two-year investigation initially targeted trafficking in stolen property and corruption of prominent business people,but later evolved into a public corruption investigation. The FBI was aided by the Justice Department and convicted con-man Mel Weinberg in videotaping politicians accepting bribes from a fictitious Arabian company in return for various political favors.
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature,while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York,its members are elected to two-year terms with no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. The Democratic Party has held control of the New York State Senate since 2019. The Senate Majority Leader is Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
Visions Veterans Memorial Arena is a 7,200-seat multi-purpose arena in Binghamton,New York. The arena was completed in 1973,providing an entertainment venue for residents of the Greater Binghamton area. The arena has eight luxury suites that each hold 25 fans. A longtime home to minor league hockey,the arena is home to the Binghamton Black Bears of the Federal Prospects Hockey League.
Operation Boptrot,also referred to as Boptrot,was an investigation by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into corruption among the Kentucky General Assembly,the Commonwealth's legislature. The operation was highly successful,with the investigation culminating in several indictments in 1992,leading to the conviction of more than a dozen legislators between 1992 and 1995. The investigation also led to reform legislation being passed in 1993.
Angelo Joseph Errichetti was an American Democratic Party politician who served as Mayor of Camden,New Jersey,and in the New Jersey Senate before being indicted during Abscam.
Dean George Skelos is an American former politician from Long Island,New York.
John L. Sampson is an American former politician and convicted felon. A Democrat,Sampson represented District 19 in the New York State Senate from 1997 to 2015. He is of Guyanese heritage. Sampson became Senate Democratic Leader in June 2009 and served as Senate Minority Leader from January 2011 to December 2012. Sampson forfeited his Senate seat when he was convicted of federal felony charges on July 24,2015. On January 18,2017,he was sentenced to five years in prison.
Malcolm Anthony Smith is an American politician from New York who was convicted of public corruption. A Democrat,Smith was a member of the State Senate,representing the 10th district in the New York State Senate from 2000 to 2002 and Senate District 14 from 2003 to 2014. Smith served as New York State Senate Majority Leader in 2009 and served as Temporary President of the New York State Senate from 2009 to 2010;he is the first African-American to hold those leadership positions.
The 2002 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 5,2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Bob Smith was defeated in the Republican primary by U.S. Representative John E. Sununu. Sununu won the open seat,defeating Democratic Governor Jeanne Shaheen. As of 2023,this was the last time Republicans or a male candidate won the Class 2 Senate seat in New Hampshire;Shaheen defeated Sununu in their 2008 rematch for this seat and was re-elected in 2014 &2020. This was Shaheen’s only unsuccessful run for elected office.
Barbara J. Fiala is the former Commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and County Executive of Broome County,New York. Fiala also served as Broome County Clerk from 1999 to 2004. She was the first female County Executive of Broome County and served as President of the New York State Association of County Executives. On July 30,2015,Fiala officially announced her candidacy for the New York State Senate's 52nd district. The seat became vacant after then-Senator Thomas W. Libous was convicted of a Federal felony of lying to the FBI. Fiala was defeated in the November election by Fred Akshar,the Republican nominee.
Derrick D. T. Shepherd is an attorney and Democratic politician,formerly a member of the Louisiana Senate.
Richard T. "Dick" Antoun was a professor of anthropology at Binghamton University who specialized in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies.
Roy Miller Page was an American lawyer and politician from New York.
Andrew J. Jenkins is an American lawyer and politician from New York.
Richard Claude "Rich" David is an American politician and journalist. He served as the mayor of Binghamton,New York from 2014 to 2021. He ran for the 52rd district of the New York State Senate in 2022.
Frederick J. Akshar II is an American Republican politician from the State of New York. Akshar represented District 52 in the New York State Senate from 2015 to 2022. Since January 1,2023,Akshar has served as the Broome County Sheriff.
James M. Turner was an American Republican Party politician who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature,serving one term in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1970 to 1972,and in the New Jersey Senate from 1972 until he was forced to resign from office in June 1973,after being convicted for his role leading a conspiracy to place drugs in the home of a Democratic Party political rival. Despite being evicted from his seat,Turner ran a quixotic campaign to be elected to a second term in the Senate.
Haley Anderson was an American nursing student at Binghamton University. She was murdered on March 8,2018,by fellow student Orlando Tercero in his apartment off-campus. Tercero fled to Nicaragua after strangling Anderson,was captured by Nicaraguan police,and was ultimately convicted of femicide. This was the first of two unrelated student murders that took place during Binghamton University's 2018 spring semester;the second was the on-campus murder of Joao Souza.
