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With Guilty Verdict, Cunningham Scandal Nears End

November 06, 2007 5:09 PM

Withguiltyver_mn One of the final chapters to the Duke Cunningham scandal all but ended Monday, as a jury handed down a guilty verdict for one of the disgraced former congressman's bribers.

A federal jury in San Diego found Brent Wilkes guilty on 13 counts related to his role in the Cunningham scandal, in which he plied the former lawmaker with money, gifts, meals and prostitutes in exchange for millions of dollars in government contracts.

Wilkes had pleaded not guilty and his lawyer has vowed to appeal the ruling, although the judge indicated he was unlikely to succeed.

Wilkes' sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 28.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

At the outset of the investigation, Wilkes was thought to be a prospective key witness for federal prosecutors looking to prosecute public officials who may have been involved in the bribery scheme. But his steadfast refusal to cooperate instead made him a target.

By contrast, Cunningham's other major briber, Mitchell Wade, voluntarily admitted his misdeeds to the feds. His cooperation gave prosecutors much of the ammunition they used against Wilkes at his trial, including eyewitness testimony. After the verdict was read, jurors credited Wade's testimony with helping sway their thinking.

As a result, Wade today is a free man. He continues to cooperate with federal prosecutors, and observers say he is likely to face no more than a few months in prison. Wilkes, meanwhile, faces more than 20 years behind bars.

There are two other prosecutions underway in San Diego related to the Cunningham matter. One, against Wilkes and former CIA executive director Dusty Foggo, involves classified information, and public access my be restricted. The other, against Greek financier Thomas Kontogiannis, is
scheduled to be taken up next month.

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November 6, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (6)

User Comments

How can you say that? Maybe Wilkes finally flips now, and who knows where this thing ends up.

Speaking of which, why aren't you guys going after Jerry Lewis? This guy dismisses 60 investigators from the House Appropriations Committee staff - three weeks BEFORE a congressional election! At the same time he's dropping $800,000 on legal fees.

Every time I see Jerry Lewis's name now I think of that corrupt Senator from Godfather II. He's got to be guilty of something huge to do something that politically desperate. (Now, if he had waited until three weeks AFTER the election . . .)

Posted by: Bill in Chicago | Nov 6, 2007 5:34:19 PM

I agree, California Republican Jerry Lewis is a real piece of slime...and is being investigated. I look forward to his being "frog-marched" in handcuffs on the nightly news.

Posted by: wilder5121 | Nov 6, 2007 6:28:59 PM

and Billy Jefferson?

Posted by: Richard Brown | Nov 8, 2007 1:20:34 PM

OK Richard Brown, I see your one Democrat and raise you .....

you too Blotter (Justin - hope you didn't write that headline. I pulled this list right from TPM - don't forget your roots)

Jack Abramoff Scandal

Pleaded Guilty
Jack Abramoff
Italia Federici
J. Steven Griles
Will Heaton
Adam Kidan
Bob Ney
Tony Rudy
Michael Scanlon
Roger Stillwell
Neil Volz
Mark Zachares

Convicted
David Safavian

Under Investigation
John Doolittle
Tom Feeney

Named, Not Charged
Ed Buckham
Duke Cunningham Scandal

Pleaded Guilty
Richard Berglund
Duke Cunningham
Mitchell Wade
Thomas Kontogiannis
Robert Fromm

Convicted
Brent Wilkes

Indicted
Kyle "Dusty" Foggo
John Michael
Brent Wilkes

Miscellaneous


Pleaded Guilty
Claude Allen
Larry Craig
Lester Crawford
Shaun Hansen
Vernon Jackson
Chuck McGee
Brent Pfeffer
Allen Raymond

Indicted
Tom Delay

Convicted
Scooter Libby
James Tobin

No Contest
Brian Doyle

Under Investigation
Jerry Lewis
Don Young

Posted by: PrgrsvArchitect | Nov 8, 2007 1:54:55 PM

The long list of criminally corrupt republicans is also as long as the list of DID NOT SERVE republicans who only know the military as the GROUND FODDER they need to cover for their CASH COLLECTOR Cheeny Brigade...BLACKWATER INDEED...like the tainted water they served our troops or the truck loads of food in former trucks holding corpses and not cleaned well...man them repubs like the military do they??????

Posted by: daddy | Nov 8, 2007 4:53:49 PM

Randy "Duke" Cunningham broke the law but he did not refuse to serve in his country's military. He is one of the most highly decorated U.S. Navy pilots in the Vietnam War. He received the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, fifteen Air Medals, and the Purple Heart.

A sad downfall.

Posted by: Jim | Nov 15, 2007 3:56:50 PM

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