BOSTON -- Indicted Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner has been re-elected in the city's seventh district.

Unofficial returns gave Turner just under 60 percent of the vote, with challenger Carlos Henriquez receiving just under 40 percent.

"Let me thank all of you who supported me during the darkest moment of my life. Without your support, I would not have survived the early assaults and certainly would not have had the strength and courage to persevere despite the odds and the attacks. I am truly indebted to you all," Turner said in a statement to supporters.

Turner, who has served on the council since 2000, was arrested last November and charged with attempted extortion and making false statements. He was accused of taking a $1,000 bribe from a local businessman who was working with the FBI and said he needed Turner's help in obtaining a liquor license.

"I continue to believe that the government’s demand that I give up my freedom of speech in order to receive 'their evidence' is an outrageous denial of justice. However, my lawyers advise me that their ability to see the 'evidence' strengthens their ability to prove former US Attorney Sullivan joined the historic pattern of government persecution of black elected officials by basing his case on his political desires not on the pursuit of justice," Turner said in a statement.

Turner pleaded not guilty to the charges.

"Now that my continuation as the District 7 Councilor is assured, I will focus my attention on disposing of the government’s bogus case. As long as the question of my guilt or innocence is unresolved, I will not be able to serve as a Chair of any Council Committee based on a ruling by the Council President. Thus to eliminate this impediment to my service I have directed my lead lawyer, Barry P. Wilson, to prepare a motion to dismiss the charges," Turner said in a statement.

Former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson of Boston has also pleaded not guilty to charges in a related corruption probe. She lost her bid for an eighth term prior to her arrest last fall and later resigned from the Senate.