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San Francisco • A California state senator is being held on $500,000 bail after appearing handcuffed in shackled in federal court.
Sen. Leland Yee is charged with six counts of depriving the public of honest services and one count of conspiracy to traffic in guns without a license. He and 25 other men are named in the criminal complaint filed this week.
Court documents say Yee or one of his campaign staffers accepted at least $42,800 in cash or campaign contributions from undercover FBI agents in exchange for carrying out agents' requests. He is also accused of trying to help an undercover agent obtain weapons from a Muslim rebel group.
Yee looked downcast as he appeared in court Wednesday. He told the judge he understands the charges against him.