California state Sen. Leland Yee has been released from custody and his lawyer says the Democrat from San Francisco plans to plead not guilty to corruption and gun charges, according to Reuters.
Yee left the federal courthouse in San Francisco shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday after spending most of the day locked up after his early morning arrest. Yee declined to comment, Reuters reported.
Yee's lawyer, Paul DeMeester, declined to discuss the charges against the senator in detail, saying the 137-page criminal complaint will take time to read and fully grasp the criminal case, according to Reuters.
DeMeester says the senator plan to plead not guilty to six charge of public corruption and one count of conspiring to sell guns without a license, Reuters reported. DeMeester said the day's goal was to get his client freed on bond.
The allegations against Yee were outlined in an FBI criminal complaint that names 25 other defendants, including Raymond Chow, a one-time gang leader with ties to San Francisco's Chinatown known as "Shrimp Boy," and Keith Jackson, Yee's campaign aide, according to Reuters.
Chow and Yee were arrested Wednesday during a series of raids in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area, Reuters reported.
The affidavit accuses Yee of conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and to illegally import firearms, Reuters reported.
Yee is also accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and cash payments to provide introductions, help a client get a contract and influence legislation, according to Reuters.
He or members of his campaign staff accepted at least $42,800 in cash or campaign contributions from undercover FBI agents in exchange for carrying out the agents' specific requests, the court documents allege, Reuters reported.
Yee discussed helping the agent get weapons worth $500,000 to $2.5 million, including shoulder-fired missiles, and explaining the entire process of acquiring them from a Muslim separatist group in the Philippines to bringing them to the U.S., according to the court document by FBI agent Emmanuel V. Pascua, according to Reuters.
Yee wore handcuffs and was shackled at the waist when he appeared in court Wednesday afternoon with 20 other defendants, Reuters reported. If convicted on all the counts against him, Yee faces up to 125 years in prison.
