California state senator Leland Yee pleads not guilty to graft charges

Leland Yee, a prominent California state senator previously charged with bribery, has pleaded not guilty to a new count of racketeering and to previously filed charges of accepting and soliciting bribes in exchange for exerting his influence in the state capital, Sacramento.

The revised indictment unsealed last week also alleges that Yee, a San Francisco Democrat, sought money for helping pass legislation making it harder for professional football players to obtain workers' compensation in California.

Authorities allege an undercover FBI agent met Yee and political adviser Keith Jackson at a restaurant on May 17, 2013, and talked about pending legislation to limit the ability of out-of-state players to file claims in the state.

Yee was a member of a Senate committee considering the bill and told the agent he controlled two votes.

The agent boasted of his connection to an unidentified owner of a professionaol football team. Yee encouraged the agent to tell the "owner of NFL team A" of his influence with the bill and to have the owner contact the senator "with an offer to help Yee", according to the indictment.

When the undercover agent asked how much the vote would cost, Yee said: "Oh no, we gotta drag it out, man. We gotta juice this thing," the document states.

Yee and Jackson then allegedly discussed approaching National Football League players and other owners.

A month later, the agent told Jackson the NFL owner would pay US$60,000, which Yee approved in a phone conversation with Jackson, according to the indictment, which says the money was never delivered.