Former State Senator of California Leland Yee pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering while running for mayor of San Francisco in 2011 and then Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
The case involving Yee also involved three co-conspirators: Brandon Jackson, Keith Jackson, and Marlon Sullivan, all of whom also pleaded guilty, but all to separate facts. Yee acknowledged to participating in two criminal enterprises: the Leland Yee for Mayor Campaign 2011 and the Leland Yee for Secretary of State campaign. The charges to which he admitted guilt were as follows:
- Accepted $10,000 in exchange for using his influence as a state senator to assist in the process of obtaining a grant from the California Department of Public Health,
- Conspired to extort money from individuals by suggesting he would cast favorable votes for specific legislation only if the money were paid,
- Accepted a $11,000 bribe in exchange for arranging a meeting with another state senator to discuss specific legislation,
- Conspired with others to purchase weapons in the Philippines and import them illegally into the United States, and
- Provided more than $6,000 in cash to a campaign aid knowing the aid would launder the money by arranging to convert the cash into checks made payable to Yee’s Secretary of State campaign.
“Mr. Yee must now live with the consequences of betraying the trust that was placed in him when he became a public servant,” said U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag. “It is particularly disappointing and troubling when our elected officials violate their obligation to fairly represent their constituents. This office will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that our elected officials govern within the law.”
Yee was an outspoken opponent of video game violence, having sponsored AB 1179 in 2005, which banned the sale of “violent video games” to anyone under the age of 18 in California. The bill was signed into law by then Governor Schwarzenegger in October 2005. The law would have gone into effect in January 2006, but due to a lawsuit filed by what is now known as the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). U.S. District Judge Ronald M. Whyte ruled in favor of the plaintiffs (EMA & ESA), stating that the law violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and that there was a lack of proof that video games were different from other forms of media and entertainment or that there was a concrete connection between violent video games and violent behavior.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
