State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, a one-time rising star in state politics who has been plagued with legal troubles during her 15-year legislative career, appeared today in federal court to face charges that she allegedly accepted eight bribes worth $23,500.

The Democratic lawmaker, arrested this morning after an 18-month undercover investigation by Boston Police and the FBI, 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 in the state Senate as recently as last week to help the developer in the Crosstown section of Roxbury, near the intersection of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue.

Wilkerson made an initial appearance this afternoon before US Magistrate Judge Timothy S. Hillman. Prosecutors did not ask for bail; she was released on $50,000 unsecured bond. But prosecutors did ask that Hillman order her not to destroy any documents that may relate to the case.

"There is substantial concern on the part of the government that records will be -- quote -- 'lost,'" said Assistant US Attorney John S. McNeil said, noting her past federal and state legal troubles. "She has a long history of acting as if she was above the law."...

...Wilkerson faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted on the charges of attempted extortion and theft of honest services, with more potential charges pending.

Wilkerson has represented Roxbury since first winning election in 1992, but lost the Democratic primary to Sonia Chang-Diaz last month. Wilkerson has been mounting a write-in campaign to retain her seat.

In her early years at the State House, Wilkerson, a lawyer who is the first black woman elected to the state Senate, was seen as a rising star who might even have a shot at Congress. But she has gotten entangled in a series of legal scrapes.

She is currently facing the loss of her license to practice law. The Board of Bar Overseers has alleged that she lied under oath at a 2005 Suffolk Superior Court hearing in a murder case, an allegation she has denied...