Leland Yee | |
|---|---|
 Yee in 2010 | |
| Member of the California State Senate from the 8th district | |
| In office December 4, 2006 – March 28, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Jackie Speier |
| Succeeded by | Tom Berryhill |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 12th district | |
| In office December 2, 2002 – November 30, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Shelley |
| Succeeded by | Fiona Ma |
| Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from the 4th district | |
| In office January 1997 – December 2, 2002 | |
| Preceded by | district created in 2000; prior terms were for city-wide seat |
| Succeeded by | Fiona Ma |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Yu Yin Liang[1] Toisan, Guangdong, China |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Maxine Yee |
| Education | |
| Website | dist08.casen.govoffice.com www.lelandyee.com |
| Criminal status | Released |
| Conviction(s) | Racketeering |
| Criminal charge | |
| Penalty | Five years in federal prison |
| Chinese name | |
| Chinese | 余胤良 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Yú Yìn Liáng |
| Jyutping | Jyu Jan Loeng |
Leland Yin Yee (Chinese: 余胤良; Jyutping: jyu4 jan6 loeng4; pinyin: Yú Yìnliáng) is an American former politician who served as a member of the California State Senate for District 8, which covered parts of San Francisco and the Peninsula.
Prior to becoming state senator, Yee was a California State Assemblyman, Supervisor of San Francisco's Sunset District, and President of the San Francisco School Board. In 2004 Yee became the first Asian American to be appointed Speaker pro Tempore, making him the second highest ranking Democrat of the California State Assembly.
In 2015, Yee pleaded guilty to felony racketeering charges for money laundering, political corruption, arms trafficking, and bribery. Yee was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on March 26, 2014, on charges related to public corruption and gun trafficking—specifically, buying automatic firearms and shoulder-launched missiles from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), an Islamist extremist group located in the southern Philippines and attempting to re-sell those weapons to an undercover FBI agent, as well as accepting a $10,000 bribe from an undercover agent in exchange for placing a call to the California Department of Public Health regarding a contract at the organization.[2]
In response to the gun running and other criminal charges against him, the California State Senate suspended Yee as a Senator on March 28, 2014.[3] On July 1, 2015, Yee pleaded guilty to a felony racketeering count in relation to money laundering, public corruption and bribery in a joint-prosecution alongside fellow organized crime figures based in San Francisco's Chinatown.[4] On February 24, 2016, Yee was sentenced to five years in federal prison,[5] and was released on June 26, 2020.[6]
- ^ Ni, Ching-Ching (May 17, 2011). "Candidates making up new names on ballots translated into Chinese". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
In 2009, Yee, whose Mandarin name is Yu Yin Liang, got a bill through the Legislature that would have required candidates to use phonetic transliterations of their names in election materials printed in character-based scripts...
- ^ Lucas, Scott (March 27, 2014). "The Indictment Against Leland Yee Puts 'The Wire's' Clay Davis to Shame". San Francisco. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ McGreevy, Patrick. "In unprecedented move, state Senate votes to suspend three lawmakers", Los Angeles Times, March 28, 2014.
- ^ "Ex-Calif. Sen. Leland Yee Pleads Guilty in Chinatown Corruption Case". NBC Bay Area. July 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ "Former state Sen. Leland Yee sentenced to prison". InsideBayArea.com. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
- ^ Anna Bauman (June 30, 2020). "Leland Yee, convicted in 2015 corruption scandal, released from federal prison". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 11, 2020.