A federal grand jury indicted state Senator Dianne Wilkerson today on eight counts of accepting bribes, exactly three weeks after the FBI arrested the longtime lawmaker in an undercover corruption probe…. Wilkerson faces eight charges of attempted extortion under color of official right — essentially, using her office to illegally get payments. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
The full statement from Senate President Therese Murray (email, no link):
With this news, I once again urge Dianne Wilkerson to resign from the Senate immediately.
Seriously, it’s time. She already said she’d resign, just as soon as she could manage the following details:
“I am committed to resigning my office as soon as I can do so consistent with my need to effectuate an orderly transition, including closing out hundreds of active constituent matters, filing and storing 16 years of files consisting of hundreds of boxes, assisting my current staff in finding new employment, and putting related affairs in order.”
Oh come on. If Marzilli could manage it, so can Wilkerson. Time’s up.
The focus could be on dumping Bob Spellane.