SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The FBI on Wednesday filed a 137-page affidavit outlining a detailed corruption case against a California state senator who is accused of asking for campaign donations in exchange for introducing an undercover agent to an arms trafficker. The affidavit names Sen. Leland Yee and 25 others, including Raymond Chow, a onetime gang leader with ties to San Francisco’s Chinatown known as “Shrimp Boy,” and Keith Jackson, Yee’s campaign aide. Jackson is accused of multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud.
Excerpts:
—Pg. 24: In connection with efforts to retire the mayoral campaign debt, Senator Yee and Keith Jackson agreed that Senator Yee would make a telephone call to a manager with the California Department of Public Health in support of a contract under consideration with (the undercover agent’s) purported client, and would provide an official letter of support for the client, in exchange for a $10,000 campaign donation. Senator Yee made the call on Oct. 18, 2012 and provided the letter on or about Jan. 13, 2013.
—Pg. 94-95: Yee said, “People want to get whatever they want to get. Do I care? No, I don’t care. People need certain things.”
Yee told the undercover agent that he believed the more people involved in the weapons deal, the greater the chances he would be implicated.
The agent told Yee he had just as much to lose if he was caught. The agent told Yee he had a great life and would not do anything to jeopardize his lifestyle.
Yee said he was unhappy with his life and said, “There’s a part of me that wants to be like you. You know how I’m going to be like you? Just be a free agent there.”
Yee told the agent that he wanted to hide out in the Philippines. Jackson reiterated the importance of having the agent meet with the arms dealer. Yee said he would arrange for the agent to meet with the arms dealer.
—Pg. 97: At a restaurant Yee told the undercover agent that he appreciated his support and said, “I can be of help to you for eight years. I think eight years is a lot better than 10 months.” Yee said that if he lost in his bid for secretary of state he wanted to move into the private sector and exploit all of the relationships he had in Asia for various kinds of activities.
—Pg. 98-99: (The undercover agent) asked about the availability of shoulder fired missiles or rockets. Senator Yee responded “I told him about rocket launchers and things like that.” Senator Yee asked (the agent) to provide an inventory list of desired weapons and he would see what they can do.
—Pg. 101: On March 11, 2014 the agent met with Yee, Jackson and Lim (the alleged weapons trafficker) at a restaurant and Yee said no weapons deal could take place until after the secretary of state election in November. Yee and Lim also encouraged the agent to deal in smaller amounts of weapons to avoid unwanted attention in the Philippines.
Yee also said he wouldn’t go to the Philippines until November. Yee said, “Once things start to move, it’s going to attract attention. We just got to be extra-extra careful.”
On March 14, 2014, the agent met again with Yee, Jackson and an associate at a restaurant. Yee and Jackson discussed how they would break up the large sum of cash provided by the agent into legitimate campaign donations.
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The full affidavit can be read at https://1.usa.gov/OWdbRj
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