Sentencing set for ex-state senator in racketeering case

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Former California state senator Leland Yee is expected to be sentenced after acknowledging in a plea deal that he accepted thousands of dollars in bribes and discussed helping an undercover FBI agent buy automatic weapons from the Philippines.

Yee’s attorneys have called for no more than five years and three months behind bars, saying Yee has a history of public service and his wife is ill.

Prosecutors recommended an eight-year sentence, saying that would reflect the extent of Yee’s crimes.

Senior District Court Judge Charles Breyer also has the option of imposing a different term at the Wednesday hearing.

Yee pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in racketeering.

The charge was filed as part of a wide-ranging probe of organized crime in San Francisco’s Chinatown that led to charges against more than two dozen people. He has remained free while awaiting sentencing.

Category: International