Advertisement

Anti-violent game politician gets five years in jail

Leland Yee pursued a moral crusade against violent games while conspiring to smuggle weapons in from the Philippines.

Justin Sullivan/Getty

Disgraced former state senator Leland Yee has been sentenced to five years in jail after using up all of the world's irony in a single go. If you're not familiar, Yee was previously state senator for California most famous for leading a moral campaign against violent video games. The official authored AB-1179, a bill that would have outlawed the sale of games like Grand Theft Auto V which was defeated by the Supreme Court. When he wasn't doing that, however, he was basically acting like one of the corrupt officials that pepper the aforementioned video game's universe.

For instance, Yee was found guilty on a racketeering charge whereby he forced people into donating to his campaign. In exchange for these hefty contributions, he'd respond with political favors, like accepting $10,000 in order to support a businessman looking for health department grants. Even more troubling, however, is that while Yee wanted to outlaw fictional gunplay, he was looking to replace it with the real thing. The former senator had previously admitted to taking part in a conspiracy to import guns into the US from the Philippines. Isn't it ironic, don't you think?