Dianne Wilkerson

Dianne Wilkerson
Wilkerson in 2008
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
from the 2nd Suffolk district
In office
1993–2008
Preceded byBill Owens
Succeeded bySonia Chang-Díaz
Personal details
Born (1955-05-02) May 2, 1955 (age 69)
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceBoston, Massachusetts
Alma materAmerican International College, Boston College
Occupationattorney

Dianne Wilkerson (born May 2, 1955) is a former Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate, representing the 2nd Suffolk District from 1993 to 2008 as the first African American female to serve in the chamber.

On October 28, 2008, she was arrested on public corruption charges by the FBI for accepting bribes totaling $23,500. She formally resigned on November 19, 2008. On June 3, 2010, she pleaded guilty to eight felony counts of attempted extortion. She was disbarred from the practice of law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on November 24, 2010, and served a federal prison sentence from 2011 to 2013.