California state senator Leland Yee was arrested on Wednesday after asking campaign donations in exchange for firearms and missiles from a Muslim separatist group in the Philippines. Sen. Yee did not know that he was actually dealing with an undercover FBI agent, reported CBS News.
The charges filed against the Senator were outlined in an affidavit submitted by the FBI supporting a criminal complaint. Yee was accused of illegally importing firearms and dealing them without a license. The Senator was arrested last Wednesday with a bail set at USD500000. CBS News reported that Yee later appeared in court on the same day.
The arrest of the state senator shocked a lot of Chinese-Americans who said that the Yee was a leader in the community and a political mainstay in San Francisco. This was according to David Lee, the head of the Chinese American Voters Education Committee.
According to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, "That’s shocking news to me. It's many years of public service so, I don't know what's occurred there ... I hope for the best."
Aside from arms dealing charges filed against Yee, the senator is also confronted with bribery allegations. Sen. Yee was accused of getting tens of thousands of cash payments and campaign donations. The said payments were for Yee to help a client get a contract after influencing legislation.
Yee refused to comment on the matter, reported CBS News.
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