Former California State Senator Leland Yee Pleads Not Guilty to Wire Fraud Charges

Former California State Senator Leland Yee was arrested on federal corruption charges on March 26th after a 5-year investigation into his campaign financing, which led to charges of wire fraud, bribery, public corruption, and arms trafficking.

On Tuesday, April 8th, Yee appeared in federal court in San Francisco and finally pleaded not guilty to the charges. His plea had been expected for over a week, although he appeared in court for a previous arraignment and refused to plead at that time.

On Friday, April 11th, Yee, codefendant Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow, and 27 other codefendants appeared in federal court again. Federal prosecutors say that additional RICO charges, on top of the wire fraud, bribery, and federal corruption charges, could be added.

During the court appearance on Friday, the federal judge attempted to set down some ground rules for the wire fraud and RICO charges case which involves so many codefendants. “Whatever takes place will be smaller and more discrete,” U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer told a crowd of 21 lawyers and 21 of the 29 defendants gathered in the front of his Federal Building courtroom. One of the defense attorneys, James Brosnahan, suggested the trial be divided into at least three separate trials because many of the RICO charges are unrelated.

“Can the eventual indictment even be one case?” Brosnahan, the defense attorney for Keith Jackson, said. Jackson was Yee’s former political consultant as well as a former San Francisco school board member.

On top of Leland Yee’s famous public corruption, wire fraud, bribery, and gun trafficking charges, other codefendants are charged with drug conspiracy, conspiracy to sell stolen cigarettes, and a failed murder-for-hire plot. However, none of the codefendants has the same list of RICO charges.

According to the 137-page federal indictment, Yee has been accused of wire fraud for accepting bribes from undercover agents in an attempt to sway legislation, including medical marijuana legislation. In one instance, which was caught on tape, Yee accepted a $10,000 bribe, and attempted to get more money from the undercover federal agent, saying he had campaign debts to pay off.

If convicted for the federal corruption, wire fraud, RICO, and gun trafficking charges, Yee faces over 100 years in prison and fines over $1 million.

“There is no logical connection between many of the parties in this indictment,” alleged Curtis Briggs, one of the defense attorneys for Raymond Chow, leader of the Chee Kung Tong, a Chinatown-based civic group that is alleged by prosecutors to have a criminal faction. Briggs said that the charges were combined in one document “to make the indictment seem stronger.”

What are RICO Charges?

RICO charges involve the operation of an illegal business or enterprise, including a fraudulent scams, for an individual or entity’s personal profit. RICO cases are complex criminal cases.  They involve serious criminal charges and life altering potential consequences.

The federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and similar state racketeering laws give the government a tremendous amount of power to go after those accused of racketeering.

The RICO act is broad and covers a variety of white collar crimes including:

• murder,
• the transportation and distribution of drugs,
• gambling,
• embezzlement,
• extortion,
• theft/armed robbery,
• money laundering, and
• bribery

The consequences for a RICO conviction are harsh.  Possible penalties may include:

• Prison time (up to twenty years for each violation)
• Mandatory probation/parole/house arrest/counseling
• Loss of certain constitutional rights
• Forfeiture of assets
• Large fines
• Restitution paid to victims

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with RICO Charges

For experienced RICO and federal criminal charges defense attorneys who will fight for your rights and work to have your charges reduced or even dismissed, contact the attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, today. We offer free, confidential consultations so that you can discuss the facts of your case with impunity, in a safe environment. Do not hesitate to contact us. 803.252.4800.