Man faces ten year prison term for threatening embattled Senator Yee

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by Amy Nilson , March 28, 2014

A man who plead no-contest on October 28, 2013 to making criminal threats against a California State Senator by email, now faces a ten year prison sentence.  However, the State Senator now faces the same amount of prison time under federal charges ranging from fraud to illegal weapon sales.

When the news broke about the arrest of State Senator Leland Yee on weapons charges, many people were shocked to find out that he was possibly involved with illegal firearms. Dilma Coleman said “I couldn’t believe that he was arrested”. Coleman believed that Yee was innocent and that there was no way he would be involved in illegal gun smuggling. She said, “I was devastated when I heard he got arrested”. Like many others it was a heavy blow for those seeking legislation to help curb the sale of assault rifles in California.

State Senator Leland Yee first made the news in a criminal proceeding back in 2012 when Everett Basham of Santa Clara pleaded no contest to making terrorist threats against him in Feb of 2013. Basham has also been charged with malicious possession of explosives, forging a military ID, and for illegal possession of assault weapons.

According to the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office, “On 10/28/13 defendant Basham pleaded no contest to 7 felonies and 3 misdemeanors”. Basham is scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. on June 9, 2014 in Dept. 24 at the San Jose Hall of Justice.

Keith Jackson (Lowell High School via SFGate)

A 137 page complaint affidavit was unsealed by the Northern District Court, San Francisco Division, on March 26, 2014. Details of the complaint revealed charges against Leland Yin Yee, AKA California State Senator Leland Yee, AKA Uncle Leland, pursuant Title 18 U.S.C. §1343 and 1346, wire fraud of honest service. He also being charged under Title 18 U.S.C. §371,922 (a)(1) and 922 (l), conspiracy to deal firearms without a licence and to illegally import firearms.

A deal was struck with a Federal Agent acting on information confirmed with Keith Jackson, who was a political consultant working with the Senator, that Senator Yee would provide a State proclamation honoring the “Chee Kung Tong” or CKT in exchange for a $6,800 campaign donation.  However the contributions did not stop there.  The request for for more campaign contributions continued.

With further interest into the operation of gun running, and making hundreds of thousands of dollars for conspiring in the sale of shoulder fired firearms, Jackson arranged a meeting with an undercover FBI agent and the State Senator for the purchase. Yee said “we’re interested” in arranging the weapons deal through the arms dealer, and would go back to talk to “his folks”. Senator Yee said, “He’s going to rely on me because ultimately it’s going to be me”.

Read More:

CBS San Francisco: Santa Clara Man Pleads No Contest For Threat Against State Sen. Yee