California Senate suspends Calif. state Sen. Leland Yee
Yee was one of 26 people caught up in a five-year federal investigation that targeted Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, a Chinatown gangster who had claimed to have left a life of crime behind, officials said. Investigators made the investigation public Wednesday after Yee, Chow and others were arrested and several locations from Sacramento to San Francisco were raided.
Yee - whose alleged crimes contradict his public image as an advocate for gun control, open government and limiting youths' exposure to violent video games - is out on $500,000 bail and has not commented on the charges. DeMeester says Yee plans to plead not guilty.
Investigators say Yee took bribes from undercover agents in exchange for political favors to pay off a $70,000 debt from an unsuccessful run for San Francisco mayor in 2011 and to raise money for his secretary of state campaign, which he abandoned a day after the allegations were made public.
Yee had raised $800,000 for the state race and, according to recent campaign finance filings, has spent all but $134,000, which he can now use for his legal defense. Despite withdrawing, Yee's name will remain on the ballot for the June 3 primary.
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Senate-suspends-Calif-state-Sen-Leland-Yee-2-5357627.php
