Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Yee Corruption Case Hits Bayview

From SFGate,
State Sen. Leland Yee was arrested on public corruption charges Wednesday morning in a federal investigation... 
Also in custody was San Francisco political consultant Keith Jackson, a former San Francisco school board member... [with] huge ties to the Bayview.  
Among the locations being searched by FBI evidence response teams and the IRS was Bay Steel Inc. on Davidson Avenue in the Bayview neighborhood...
Keith Jackson
According to a since-removed page from Singer Associates website, Keith Jackson was a senior consultant at the firm who specialized in "developing community and grassroots campaigns for corporations...[and] in facilitating complex public affairs and communications issues that relate to community, business, and government."

Mr. Jackson has a long history of doing good in the Bayview, including his time as a member of the San Francisco School Board and once serving as executive director for the San Francisco Black Chamber of Commerce and Hunters Point Boys and Girls Club.

UPDATE:

According to the complaint affidavit, Mr. Jackson was a consultant to the Chee Kung Tong organization, and was introduced to an undercover FBI agent by the organization's leader and purported supreme authority in the internationally-based Chinese crime syndicate known as the Triad, Raymond "Shrimpboy" Chow.  Senator Yee and Mr. Jackson are alleged to have been "involved in a scheme to defraud the citizens of California of their rights to honest services... [and] were involved in a conspiracy to traffic firearms."  It alleges the Mr. Jackson was further "involved in a scheme to defraud of honest services, a murder for hire conspiracy, gun trafficking, and drug trafficking conspiracy."  Jackson's son, Brandon Jamelle Jackson, is also named in the affidavit, accused of murder for hire conspiracy, gun trafficking, and drug trafficking conspiracy.

The affidavit is pretty compelling reading, to be sure, and is all about guns, drugs, money and influence.

Senator Yee and Mr. Jackson are charged with violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343 and 1346 (Wire Fraud of Honest Services); Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371, 922(a)(1) and 922(I) (Conspiracy to Deal Firearms Without a License and to Illegally Import Firearms).  Mr. Jackson is additionally charged with violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846 (Conspiracy to Distribute Narcotics) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 1958 (Murder for Hire).

The way I read the sentencing statutes, both face several years in prison, even if convicted on only one of the counts brought against them.

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