State Senator Carl Kruger and seven others appeared in federal court today to answer to upgraded charges of corruption.

In addition to money laundering and theft of honor services charges, all eight pled not guilty to mail fraud, wire fraud and bribery.

Kruger is charged with accepting more than one million dollars in bribes in exchange for allocating funds to certain projects and lobbying fellow lawmakers.

An estimated 30,000 secret recordings are said to have been used to form the case against the defendants.

The 17-year state senator was once the chairman of the powerful Finance Committee.

He has since been stripped from his post as the ranking member of that committee.

Many Republicans and Democrats are calling for Kruger’s resignation.

(Source: NY1)