Anti Game Violence Legislator Charged With Gun Running and Fraud

According to a press release from the United states Department of Justice long time anti violent games campaigner State Senator Leland Yee is among the twenty-six defendants with firearms trafficking, money laundering, murder-for-hire, drug distribution, trafficking in contraband cigarettes, and honest services fraud.

Yee was the author of California's infamous 2005 law that sought to criminalize the sale of violent video games to children. The law was being overturned for good by the US Supreme Court in 2011 on First Amendment grounds. The failed legislative and legal effort ended up costing California taxpayers $1.8 million in lawyer fees alone.

in 2006 Yee had this to say about the US games ratings which are overseen by the ESRB.

Plain and simply, the current rating system is drastically flawed and here is yet another reason why we need legislation to assist parents and protect children, [The industry's self regulatory system] has again has failed our parents and shown that they cannot police themselves.

Unlike the movie industry's rating board which reviews the entire content of a film, the ESRB rates games based on very limited viewing of the game and rely almost entirely on information provided to them by the game manufacturer,

 

 If convicted, Yee could be looking at 25 years in a federal prison and $250,000 in fines.