A federal judge has sentenced former California State Senator Leland Yee to five years in prison for racketeering. He has acknowledged that he accepted thousands of dollars as bribes and discussed with an undercover FBI agent that he will help the latter buy automatic weapons from the Philippines.
In a report by ABC News, prosecutors wanted Yee to serve an eight-year sentence but his attorney has called for no more than five years of imprisonment as he had a history in public service and that his wife is ill.
Yee said that he takes full responsibility of the charges made against him and that he accepts the crimes. He added that he hopes the judge looks at his entire life and "not just the crimes [he] committed." Yee asked for leniency. However, Senior District Court Judge Charles Breyer also said that he feels he should be lenient on sentencing Yee as the crimes he committed were an attack on democratic institutions and that his vote was for sale.
The sentence was reduced to five years in prison and a fine of $20,000, SF Gate reported. Breyer said that he has taken into account Yee's age, career, and the health of his wife, who is battling cancer.
The 67-year-old is a long-time politician who has served in the state Assembly and on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He pleaded guilty last July to one count of conspiracy to engage in racketeering. He was one of the two dozen people charged as a result of an organized crime investigation in San Francisco's Chinatown.
As part of the plea agreement, Yee acknowledged that he did accept $11,000 in exchange for setting up a meeting with another state senator. He also did admit that he accepted $10,000 for recommending someone for a grant as well as accepting $6,800 for providing a certificate honoring the Ghee Kung Tong, which was led by Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, using the California State Senate letterhead, NBC News reported.
Chow was convicted just last month of running Ghee Kung Tong as a racketeering enterprise. He was also convicted for murdering the former leader, Allen Leung, back in 2006. His sentencing is this March and he is facing a mandatory life sentence.
