Uncle Leland didn’t have enough “juice” to beat the charges. Update to this story.
Thank You SJM News and Dapandico.Former California legislator Leland Yee pleaded guilty Wednesday to one far-reaching racketeering charge, capping a case that exposed political corruption in the state Capitol.Under a plea deal with federal prosecutors, Yee faces a likely prison term of at least several years for his felony conviction for using his political influence to accept bribes. The plea deal was presented in court here to U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who will sentence the former Democratic state senator from San Francisco on Oct. 21.Yee was set to go on trial on political corruption, money laundering and gun trafficking charges in August along with three other defendants, political consultant Keith Jackson, his son, Brandon Jackson, and former sports agent Marlon Sullivan.Those defendants also pleaded guilty Wednesday under separate plea deals with the U.S. attorney’s office. Keith Jackson, accused of being at the center of Yee’s dealings, pleaded guilty to the same racketeering charge as the defrocked state legislator.[…]By pleading guilty to the racketeering charge, Yee, among other things, admitted that he agreed to influence legislation for would-be medical marijuana businesses in California, professional sports teams and a company seeking government technology contracts. The racketeering charge also contained allegations Yee tried to arrange an illegal international arms deal through the Philippines in exchange for money.Yee admitted, for example accepting an $11,000 cash bribe in June 2013 from an undercover FBI agent to help sponsor statewide marijuana legislation, according to his plea agreement. In addition, he admitted he laundered a $6,800 contribution to his secretary of state campaign in 2014, court records show.Yee’s plea deal avoids a detailed exploration at trial of his political dealing, and likely reduced his potential punishment, while the government will not be forced to detail the scope of an undercover FBI probe that crossed paths with numerous high-profile figures who were not implicated in any wrongdoing, including former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.
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