Dianne Wilkerson (original) (raw)

Dianne Wilkerson (born May 2, 1955) is a former Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate, representing the 2nd Suffolk District from 1993 to 2008. In 1993, she became the first African American female to serve in the Massachusetts Senate. On October 28, 2008, she was arrested on public corruption charges by the FBI for accepting bribes totaling $23,500. She formally resigned on November 19, 2008. On June 3, 2010, she pleaded guilty to eight felony counts of attempted extortion. She was disbarred from the practice of law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on November 24, 2010.