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Senator Leland Yee arrested for corruption

March 27, 2014
Leland Yee

Leland Yee

California secretary of state candidate State Sen. Leland Yee was arrested on federal corruption charges during an FBI sting on Wednesday. [LATimes]

According to the indictment, Yee is accused of sidestepping campaign donation rules in exchange for political favors, and of engaging in a conspiracy to deal firearms without a license. In addition to arresting Yee, federal investigators arrested gangster Raymond Chow, also known as “Shrimp Boy,” and two dozen of their alleged associates.

Chow, 54, has a criminal history that includes racketeering and robbery, and is the “supreme authority” in the Triad, an international organized crime group.

Also arrested was political consultant Keith Jackson, 49, who worked to raise money for Yee’s political campaigns. Jackson allegedly brokered some of the introductions between Yee and prospective donors who turned out to be undercover FBI agents.

Following the arrests, Senate leader Darrell Steinberg called on Yee to either resign or face suspension by his colleagues.

Asian gang leader Shrimp Boy

Asian gang leader Shrimp Boy

“We’re going to demand that Leland Yee — yes, innocent until proven guilty — leave the Senate and leave it now,” Steinberg said at a news conference on Wednesday.

If Yee does not resign, the Senate is prepared to suspend him during its next floor session Friday, Steinberg said.

After a little more than a year of a Democrat supermajority in both houses of the California Legislature, the legal troubles of Democrats has cost the party its state Senate majority.

In early March, State Sen. Ronald Calderon (D-Montebello) took a paid leave of absence while he fights federal corruption charges of bribery, fraud, money laundering and other offenses and State Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) also took a paid leave of absence as he prepares to fight felony convictions for perjury and voter fraud.

The legal troubles of Yee, Calderon and Wright has given new power to Republicans who lost their relevance in the 2012 election that gave Democrats a supermajority in both houses.

California law requires that proposed constitutional amendments, new taxes and fees and ballot propositions win by a two-thirds vote of the lawmakers in each house.

 


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This is what you get when you vote Party Lines instead of Character of the Person.


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He’s a great business man! Outlaw guns, the run illegal guns and sell at a huge markup! He would have been big during prohibition.


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Leland Yee is a huge pile of steer manure.


This individual did all he could to make legal firearms illegal in CA. He was intent on making law-abiding citizens into criminals because he wanted to score points with his constituency. Utter bull!


All the while he was conspiring to run illegal guns and rockets from the Phillipines to CA via New Jersey.


Lock him up and throw away the key.


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This is really old times.

Yee (Supreme Triad Authority – International at that) and Chow a Kung Fu master with a martial arts sword behind his seat.

This is really old stuff, they should have applied their acting skills in making movies instead of politics on both side of the fence.


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Maybe he will apply to be the next City Manager of SLO or even Guadalupe – I think he would find the environment very much what he needs.


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Corruption is corruption is corruption. Society should never trust their Govt. We should

always be vigilant in not only protecting our rights but the rights of others. Many in power have only their own self interest at heart. Challenging our leaders is the American way.

People who betray the public trust degrade the very fiber of what makes America great.


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Birds of a feather…Chow recently has been held up as an example of successful rehabilitation. The Sacramento Bee reported he was praised by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., in 2012 as a former offender who had become a community asset and Chow was also praised by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee for his “willingness to give back to the community.”


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So what’s worse, a felon running for office or a guy in office becoming a felon?


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Imagine that….yet another corrupt lawmaker. One of many who has been busy making laws that welcome and accommodate those who have chosen to break the law.

The Golden State ain’t so golden after all.


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