In court, Wilkerson pleads not guilty
Must let officials study documents
Former state senator Dianne Wilkerson declared her innocence yesterday in US District Court, telling a judge in a firm voice that she was "not guilty" of eight counts of attempted extortion in a bribery investigation that has rocked the State House and Boston City Hall.
Brushing strands of hair from her face as she rose to her feet, Wilkerson entered the plea during a four-minute arraignment on charges stemming from her arrest Oct. 28 and subsequent indictment last month.
US Magistrate Judge Timothy S. Hillman also discussed an agreement that prevents the Roxbury Democrat from destroying documents that might relate to the case.
"There was a concern there might be document destruction in this case," Assistant US Attorney John T. McNeil explained after the hearing.
Under a Nov. 14 court order, Wilkerson must allow prosecutors to review all documents that she removed from her State House and district offices before anything is discarded.
The order relaxes one that Hillman issued the day of Wilkerson's arrest requiring her to preserve all documents.
"She cannot throw anything out without us going through it first," McNeil told reporters. Prosecutors have received a large number of documents, he added, and "really haven't encountered any significant problems" in making sure that potential evidence is preserved.
Dressed in a gray pin-striped suit, Wilkerson, 53, left court without speaking to a crush of reporters. Her lawyer, Max D. Stern, said she would have no comment.
The court has appointed Stern as the publicly funded lawyer for Wilkerson, who says she is indigent. She remains free on a $50,000 unsecured bond.
No new details emerged yesterday about the federal corruption case that has ensnared Wilkerson and Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner, who was arrested Nov. 21 on charges of accepting a $1,000 bribe and then lying about it to the FBI.
Authorities allege that Wilkerson accepted $23,500 in bribes from Roxbury businessman Ron Wilburn, who was an FBI informant, and an undercover FBI agent to help secure a liquor license for a nightclub in her district, and to push legislation paving the way for a development in Roxbury.
Prosecutors have also initiated a forfeiture proceeding against Wilkerson to recover the cash they say she took during the undercover operation.
"We want it back," McNeil said.
Turner has a probable cause hearing scheduled tomorrow in US District Court on the criminal complaint filed last month by prosecutors.
Legal specialists said it is likely that Turner will be indicted before then, making the hearing unnecessary.
Under federal law, prosecutors must file an indictment, or a charging document called an information, within 30 days of a defendant's arrest.
Wilkerson entered her plea before an unusual group of spectators - about a dozen judges, prosecutors, and defense lawyers from Macedonia who were visiting the United States to get a taste of the US judicial system.
Jonathan Saltzman can be reached at jsaltzman@globe.com. 