Congressman Cunningham Busted for Taking Bribes

Roadtoad

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Roadtoad
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This just in from the AP...

SAN DIEGO - Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, an eight-term congressman and hotshot Vietnam War fighter jock, pleaded guilty to graft and tearfully resigned Monday, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes mostly from defense contractors in exchange for government business and other favors.

"The truth is I broke the law, concealed my conduct, and disgraced my office," the 63-year-old Republican said at a news conference. "I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions, most importantly, the trust of my friends and family."

He could get up to 10 years in prison at sentencing Feb. 27 on federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and fraud, and tax evasion.
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I saw this on the tube, and heard it on the radio. The only thing I can say is "Save the drama for your mama." His sideshow is one of the most embarassing displays I've seen in a while.

Peggy said it best: He's not ashamed of what he did, he's ashamed he got caught. The hell with his sorry @$$.
 
Roadtoad said:
This just in from the AP...



I saw this on the tube, and heard it on the radio. The only thing I can say is "Save the drama for your mama." His sideshow is one of the most embarassing displays I've seen in a while.

Peggy said it best: He's not ashamed of what he did, he's ashamed he got caught. The hell with his sorry @$$.
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I hope they put him in Rostenkowski's cell, but for longer.
 
Just one more in a LONG line of people taking "inducements" under the table. In some countries, this is how business actually is done!
 
Zep said:
Just one more in a LONG line of people taking "inducements" under the table. In some countries, this is how business actually is done!
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In some states too, Illinois comes to mind.

What a jackass, he'd better be fined in excess of the money he took. In addition to prison time of course.
 
I remember, years ago, reading of some of his exploits in Vietnam. Who would have thought it would end like this?

How the mighty have fallen!
 
Roadtoad said:
You aren't really so naive as to believe that would actually happen, are you?
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No. What will probably happen is he'll be fined a nominal amount, spend at most 1 year in prison and then his old political buddies will hire him for a do-nothing job that pays more than you or I will ever make in our lifetimes.
 
OK...who can I find who is willing to bribe me, so I can get found out, get a light gaol sentence, and then get rich?
 
Zep said:
OK...who can I find who is willing to bribe me, so I can get found out, get a light gaol sentence, and then get rich?
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I recommend the career path of John Boyle.

Steal $4 million (in quarters, forever earning the nickname "Quarters") from the tollway, spend a few years in prison and pay back only $720 of what you stole. When you get out of prison form a group called "Coalition For Better Government" which gives money to Dem politicians. Then get hired by the city of Chicago (no one, it seems, knows how he was hired...) in the Hired Trucks program, where you can collect hundreds of thousands in bribes. But try not to get caught by the Feds, like John did. The city and state will look the other way...
 
Cunningham Sentenced To 8 Years

Story.
A federal judge sentenced disgraced former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham on Friday to eight years and four months in prison for taking bribes and evading taxes. It is considered the harshest penalty ever meted out to a former member of Congress in a corruption case.

"What you did was aggravated in scope, duration and nature," U.S. District Judge Larry Alan Burns told a haggard-looking Cunningham. "The word 'avarice' is an antiquated word. But I think it applies here."
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Score one for the Feds!
 
I wonder if the dukester dropped a dime on anyone to get his sentenced reduced from the max. 10 years (to 8)?

Disgraced Congressman 'Wore a Wire'
Sources tell TIME that Duke Cunningham wore a wire after agreeing to cooperate with a graft probe
By TIMOTHY J. BURGER
SUBSCRIBE TO TIMEPRINTE-MAILMORE BY AUTHOR
Posted Friday, Jan. 06, 2006
Washington's power players have always bragged about being well-wired, but for disgraced former congressman Duke Cunningham, "wired" wasn't just a figure of speech. In a week when legislators are focused on the question of who else might be brought down by ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s cooperation with prosecutors as he seeks lenient sentencing over his two federal guilty pleas this week, sources tell TIME that in a separate investigation, ex-Rep. Cunningham wore a wire to help investigators gather evidence against others just before copping his own plea.


http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1146700,00.html
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joe1347 said:
I wonder if the dukester dropped a dime on anyone to get his sentenced reduced from the max. 10 years (to 8)?
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I sure hope so! But it appears that the sentence was less than the max (but more than defense attorneys asked for) because of his service in Vietnam and his support for black servicemen.
 
I still say it was too damned short. His "service" be damned. The man broke the law and disgraced his fellow veterans, and those he served in Congress. He's a frigging embarassment. If anything, because of his service in Vietnam, he ought to do closer to 20 years.

Bastard.
 
Sigh. Corrupt politicians are depressing. And even the threat of minimum security prison and slaps-on-the-wrist doesn't seem to deter them.

I suggest a new punishment for bribery. Have the dollar amount of the total bribes calculated, then that value in gold procured and melted. The molten gold should then be poured down the throat of the politician. If he or she survives, there will be no further punishment.

When I think "deterrent", I think "deterrent that will haunt the nightmares of politicians for generations to come."
 
TragicMonkey said:
Sigh. Corrupt politicians are depressing. And even the threat of minimum security prison and slaps-on-the-wrist doesn't seem to deter them.

I suggest a new punishment for bribery. Have the dollar amount of the total bribes calculated, then that value in gold procured and melted. The molten gold should then be poured down the throat of the politician. If he or she survives, there will be no further punishment.

When I think "deterrent", I think "deterrent that will haunt the nightmares of politicians for generations to come."
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Sorry. I think that's too good for them. Maybe after that if we could toss them into a pit of very irritated scorpions...
 
Roadtoad said:
Sorry. I think that's too good for them. Maybe after that if we could toss them into a pit of very irritated scorpions...
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The melting point of gold is 1948 degrees Farenheit. I sincerely doubt anyone would actually be in a position to mind scorpions after the treatment.
 
Roadtoad said:
I still say it was too damned short. His "service" be damned. The man broke the law and disgraced his fellow veterans, and those he served in Congress. He's a frigging embarassment. If anything, because of his service in Vietnam, he ought to do closer to 20 years.

Bastard.
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The maximum allowed by law was 10 years.

But the judge who sentenced him was suffering the guilt of having a high draft number, while Cunningham volunteered:
Prosecutors had urged Burns to ignore Cunningham's war record, saying his heroism was "three decades ago."

But Burns noted that, while he himself had a high draft number and avoided military service during "an unpopular war," Cunningham had volunteered and served with distinction in combat and later as a flight instructor at the Top Gun school in San Diego.
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luchog said:
Yup. Nothing says "deterrant" like spending a few years in a federal minimum security hotel prison.

Anyone want to lay odds he'll actually serve his entire sentence, and not be released early on parole?
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Federal sentencing guidelines dictate that you have to serve 85% of your sentence, so the minimum time he could serve is 7 years. I doubt you'd think it was a hotel if you were there, and his actual prison hasn't yet been determined.
 
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