California State Sen. Leland Yee arrested for arms dealing.

California state senator Leland Yee, whom most of us probably know as one of the more stringent anti-violent video game politicians in the country, and who has time and again tried to get them banned and/or heavily curtailed, has been arrested on federal charges. Of gun running.

Let that sink in for a moment. A guy that ranks among the most ardent detractors of violent video games was busted for attempting to connect an undercover agent posing as a mobster with an arms dealer that could allegedly sell automatic weapons and rocket launchers. Also, he is a member of the California government representing the San Francisco area. Gary Whitta said it best:

EDIT: It gets crazier, guys. So much crazier. The allegations against him are like they arrested Tomax and Xamot from G.I. Joe. Including these gems:

Yee had connection with Filipino rebel groups: "Keith Jackson advised that Senator Yee had an unidentified Filipino associate who was supplying 'heavy' weapons to rebel groups in the Philippines."

Including Muslim terrorists: "According to Senator Yee, Mindanao was largely population by Muslim rebel groups who were fighting the federal government. Yee continued by saying the Muslim rebels had no problem 'kidnapping individuals, killing individuals, and extorting them for ransom."

In specific the Moro Islamic Liberation Front: "[The agent] asked about the major Muslim organizations in the Mindanao region of the Philippines. Senator Yee responded by saying 'M.I.L.F.'"

I will never think of MILF porn the same way again.

Let me also just add he was a fervent gun control advocate...and a Democrat. Oh, irony. <3

This is just too good.

I hate all of those comments. Except this one:

Ye Got Cot

But yes, this is a delicious irony pie with a poetic justice cherry on top. Torturous metaphors aside, this would be pretty unsettling news even if Leland Yee had been an avid gamer or something. Seriously? Gun running? What the fuck are you thinking?

Defense in court: Video games made him do it.

See! This is why we need to get rid of those violent video games, you guys. It's turning our politicians into two-faced GTA villains.

' Guess American news broadcasters have to stop making snide remarks about Toronto's mayor now...

He held a copy of GTA one time and it tainted his very soul.

I honestly feel for that misguided dick. Hopefully this gives him some perspective.

Power corrupts. Video games do not.

Mmmmmmm that's some delicious Schadenfreude right there

Busted!

I'd like seconds please.

I felt like I needed to light a cigarette after hearing this news.

I just cant stop laughing at this ... WTF? This is just too perfect. Like my film teahcer said , reality superceds fiction.

I don't take the view that the man "deserves" this or anything like that because he tried to do what he did to video games, and the U.S. taxpayers can never get back the cash he wasted on his nonsense, but Jesus Christ this is like one big comedy skit. I tell you what, I blame those video games he spent all his time around.

ARMS DEALING? WHAT? Jesus christ, that's 10 times worse then I imagined him doing. Like you know the typical "Oh noes, drugs or hookers" Tabloids love to show off and go "Think of the children."

How's Yee doing?

He's surviving,

Against violent video games earlier,

Now he's supplying.

Nah, this will be a shorter term story. Rob Ford is the gift that keeps on giving. He will be running for mayor again in fall so I imagine there will be unending humour to be derived from that.

sweet sweet justice....

His mistake was not going big enough. Now they can prosecute without catching too many other rich+powerful people in the net.

The irony just sells itself. This story couldn't be better if it was made up. Oh what a piece of shit Yee is.

A corrupt left-wing politician from California, that's unpossible! The guy has been a known corrupt politician for years yet the simple-minded folk in San Fran California kept voting him in. So, this begs the question, when are they going to finally arrest other known corrupt California politicians like Boxer, Feinstein, Pelosi, and Maxine Waters to name a few.

Slaughter his reputation.

Dem tax dollars.

Now I can bring up MILF news at work and not be fired for it!

Seriously though this is pretty messed up.

It's obviously a Republican conspiracy.

I wonder if he assumed that being a outspoken critic of violent games and gun control would lessen any suspicions his of gun running. Also I wouldn't be surprised if tighter gun laws actually helped his business.

thats a bad dude....sometimes

Speaks against "ultra violent" video games. Allegedly does work for an ultra violent group.

An interesting world.

I can't think of any "famous" political/legal opponents to violent games left that haven't had their comeuppance. The incessant and irresponsible bullshit that Jack Thompson pulled over the years evetually got him disbarred from the state of Florida and a nuts corruption scandal is going to destroy has already destroyed his political career and land him in jail for a while.

There are a few who were in various state senates who attempted statues but I can't think of any off the top of my head that remain known figures in this circle like Yee or Thompson.

This is like the ardent anti-gay politicians who later come out as gay. What a twist!

Let this be a lesson for other politicians who allow their misguided perspectives to get wildly out of control. It always catches up to you eventually.

This actually made me laugh out loud. That's great. Does anyone else remember when they got him on the Hotspot? It was after the departure of the bomb squad.

I can't decide if this is more hilarious or baffling

but either way, it's perfect

There's a certain amount of schadenfruede to be had in this story, but even without the context of him being against violent video games this feels like something out of a fever dream. Selling arms to muslim extremist rebels in the Philippines? What.

@hailinel said:

I was raised in the Philippines so my first exposure to the term is with the terrorist group. Guess how much weirder it is for me when i see people talking about "MILF porn" in the internet...

I think my favourite part of this story is that in 2000 he was arrested in Hawaii for attempting to steal a bottle of sunblock by putting it down the front of his shorts.

Hilary Clinton is still around isn't she?

The complaint says Yee described his approach to arms dealing as "agnostic."

“People want to get whatever they want to get. Do I care? No, I don’t care. People need certain things,” Yee allegedly said.

It is pretty funny.

He thought it would be the perfect cover. No one suspects the video games inquisition. UNTIL NOW.

It's been said over and over again, but I cannot stop thinking how ironic it is that the man has LITERALLY BECOME A GTA CHARACTER.

Yeah, that's pretty fucking hilarious.

I don't say this very often: may he rot in jail.

lol

I know who is gonna be his lawyer.

"We need to bring Jack back!"

Dear Houser Bros.

This whole thing HAS to be satirized in your next game. The dude who wasted so much of our money and ended up basically living the life of a character in your games? Come on. It rights itself.

Seriously though, this guy has to go down as one of the biggest helpers to video game justice. With his arrest and him being the face of the whole thing I imagine a lot of those people who wanted to challenge the supreme court again just suffered a major setback.

American elites sure love violating their own laws in order to make a buck causing foreign strife. It's almost as if the system encourages it.

GTA proposes that it's darkly hysterical that the world is an absurdly brutal, selfish and mean place. The only problem is that the real world actually is absurdly brutal, selfish and mean, and I'm beginning to fear that the Joker was right all along.

Jack Thompson's coming back for one last job.

I fucking love the irony in this so much. Yee has proven once again that most politicians are scum.

This is amazing.
Reality TV aint got nothin on reality!

Wow, I saw the article title on Gamespot and just dismissed it as some non-gaming related crap, and it still is, but man it's pretty funny that a guy who blasted video games for being violent is doing something that is like a thousand times worse.