She also accused former Springfield civil rights activist Darnell Williams of saying she was under investigation before her arrest.
This still photo from a surveillance video taken in 2008 was used against former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson who was charged with accepting $23,500 in bribes from undercover agents.BOSTON – A former Massachusetts state senator convicted of corruption says two black ministers were FBI collaborators against her.
Dianne Wilkerson, scheduled Friday to report to federal prison in Danbury, Conn., said at a forum last weekend that Rev. Ray Hammond of Bethel AME Church and Bishop Gideon Thompson of Jubilee Christian Church reported her to federal agents. She also accused Darnell Williams, Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts president, of saying she was under investigation before her arrest.
The Dorchester Reporter first reported the comments. A video of her speech also was posted on UStream.
Wilkerson, once the state’s highest ranking black politician, pleaded guilty to accepting $23,500 in bribes and was sentenced in January to 3½ years in prison.
In a statement, Hammond, Thompson, and Williams called Wilkerson’s charges untrue.
Both Wilkerson and Williams are former Springfield residents. Williams is a former president of the Springfield chapter of the NAACP.