November 21, 2008 08:15 AM
By Shelley Murphy, Jonathan Saltzman, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
The FBI arrested longtime Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner early this morning at City Hall in connection with a growing federal corruption probe.
Turner was arrested at 7 a.m. in connection with an undercover sting that lead to the arrest last month of state Senator Dianne Wilkerson, according to special agent Gail A. Marcinkiewicz, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Turner is expected to make his initial appearance today in US District Court in Worcester before Magistrate Judge Timothy Hillman, who is handling Wilkerson's case.
A law enforcement source said that Turner is expected to charged with extortion and lying to FBI agents in an undercover sting involving a liquor license for the nightclub Dejavu. Wilkerson was ensnared in the same operation and ultimately charged with accepting eight bribes worth $23,500 in a case that also included accusations that she pushed legislation paving the way for a Roxbury development.
Turner was videotaped taking a bribe in the Dejavu sting , the source said. After Wilkerson's arrest, Turner was questioned by FBI agents about the alleged bribe and he denied accepting it.
Wilkerson resigned on Wednesday after nearly 16 years under mounting pressure from her colleagues in the Senate.
Turner has served in the City Council since 2000, representing District 7, which includes Roxbury, Lower Roxbury, and parts of the Fenway, South End, Dorchester.
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