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BOSTON (AP) - A former Massachusetts state senator convicted of corruption after being videotaped stuffing bribe money into her bra has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

In a stunning reminder of the situational ethics of Governor Patrick, Dianne Wilkerson is being sentenced today, the same day that Deval Patrick takes his second oath of office. Here's an oldie but goodie where Patrick makes a phone call in support of the already multiple time convicted, ankle bracelet wearing, Diane Wilkerson. (Video link below)

State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, facing open scorn from her colleagues and the possibility of a humiliating vote to strip her of her seat, resigned yesterday from the office she held for nearly 16 years, leaving behind a career punctuated by last month's arrest on federal bribery charges. Wilkerson submitted a two-sentence letter of resignation to the Senate president, handwritten in cursive on a blank sheet of paper, at 9:45 a.m.

The bizarre story behind the construction of Boston's most controversial building

BOSTON, (AP) -- A Massachusetts state senator photographed while allegedly stuffing thousands of dollars in bribe money into her sweater has resigned. Dianne Wilkerson's resignation was announced Wednesday by state Senate President Therese Murray. Wilkerson was indicted a day before on eight counts of attempted extortion.

BOSTON (AP) -- The Massachusetts Senate has unanimously passed a resolution urging a member accused of taking bribes to resign. State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson was arrested by the FBI earlier this week and charged in federal court with accepting $23,500 from undercover agents she thought were businessmen. Photographs taken by the FBI allegedly show the Boston Democrat stuffing cash under her sweater and inside her bra.

(FBI surveillance photograph) State Senator Diane Wilkerson allegedly stuffed a $1,000 cash payoff into her bra during a meeting with an informant at No. 9 Park restaurant on June 18, 2007. State Senator Dianne Wilkerson was arrested this morning after an 18-month undercover investigation by Boston Police and the FBI in which she allegedly accepted eight bribes worth $23,500. The 15-year Democratic lawmaker allegedly accepted cash payoffs that ranged from $500 to $10,000 to help a nightclub secure a liquor license and to assist a private developer who wanted to build on state land. Wilkerson allegedly tried to influence legislation...

It is said we get the government we deserve. But do the people of the 2nd Suffolk District really deserve Sen. Dianne Wilkerson? For the nearly 14 years she’s been in the state Senate, the star-crossed “Lady D,” as some affectionately call her, has seldom been willing, or able, to get out of her own way. And the sad reality is, it’s never seemed to matter. But now, the question is: Should it? She’s been a fixture on Beacon Hill since 1993 and she still can’t manage to scrounge up 300 legit signatures to have her name officially placed on...