Back in March 2014, I had blogged about California State Senator Leland Yee had been arrested, along with others, on public corruption charges. He initially pleaded not-guilty, but now has changed his plea to guilty:
“Yee, who previously has pleaded not guilty to bribery, money laundering and other felony charges, was scheduled to go on trial in late July in the sweeping case that was centered in San Francisco’s Chinatown. But he changed his plea Wednesday in San Francisco federal court and will likely serve some time in prison, legal analysts say. He could face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to federal sentencing guidelines and the plea agreement obtained by NBC Bay Area. He admitted to a long list of crimes, including wire fraud and quid pro quo favors in return for campaign contributions, from 2011 to March 2014, in a spree called the “campaign,” the plea deal shows. In many of the cases, Yee was interacting with undercover FBI agents.”
As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve met Yee briefly a few times at some political events in the San Francisco Bay Area, and he definitely seemed like a sketchy politician. Yee would always show up late and leave early at event, so he could be seen, then move on to the next event. But Yee’s charges I think surprised even his strongest critics. Fortunately, most elected officials I’ve met, whether they are Asian American or not, do have the best of intentions and certainly not like Yee.
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Disgusted
- Sad
- Angry
