Think Progress

8 years, 4 months.

By Judd Legum on Mar 3rd, 2006 at 6:49 pm

Sentence for former Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA) for accepting $2.4 million in bribes and evading $1 million in taxes. It’s the longest term that a congressman has been sentenced to in at least four decades.

Comments
74

74 Responses to “8 years, 4 months.”

Capt. Rock says:

SEE YA! — have fun in the clink!
March 3rd, 2006 at 6:52 pm
Joe Sixpack says:

Heh, heh!
March 3rd, 2006 at 6:53 pm
james says:

as they say in Shawshank, “fresh fish! fresh fish! fresh fish!”
March 3rd, 2006 at 6:54 pm
David says:

Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!
March 3rd, 2006 at 6:55 pm
Optimist says:

I believe I now understand the republican strategy. Currently they control the executive and legislative branches of government, and now they have set their sights on the judicial. The rovian brilliance of this current strategy is illustrated best by Mr. Cunningham’s current situation. You see, I believe the plan is based upon a grass roots strategy and that they plan to infiltrate the judicial branch from the “inside”.

Mr. Cunningham will be acting as a kind of recon scout soon to be joined by such other noteworthy operatives as:
- DeLay
- Abramoff
- Ney
- Harris
- Noe
- Pombo
- Santorum
- and more

For the first time I am fully supportive of a republican movement and wish them great success.

Don’t worry Dukestir, you won’t be lonely for long.
March 3rd, 2006 at 6:58 pm
Jesus Christ God of WAR says:

Republicans quickly sell out to the highest bidder. Every time.

Have a nice stay in the clink, Duke!

May all your corrupt pals join you shortly.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:03 pm
Bush Bites says:

Take prison like a man, Duke. Like a REAL man.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:04 pm
Gerald Gibson says:

Pardon me … but is that a “pardon” in your hand Mr. Preznitwit?
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:04 pm
Steve says:

Name that movie!

“Hey, Pete. Watch your corn hole, man.”
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:06 pm
Clyde the Ripper says:

#5 and #8

You are both right. With the second one they will be coming and going as fast as that revolving door can spin. Hopefully Queen George the Dumb will be impeached and the pardons nullified.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:17 pm
Fair Question says:

If the shoe fits…

But, I think #5 is getting ahead of himself. Rick is a good guy – he’s clean.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:25 pm
Clif says:

#11 NOT
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:30 pm
Dem02020 says:

IT’S NOT NEARLY ENOUGH.

With U.S. Troops being killed in the field, for a ‘war’ that has nothing whatsoever to do with U.S. National Security or with Justice for anything done to the United States…

For Republican Randall ‘Duke’ Cunningham to have a been high profile voice advocating this ‘war’ (and a high profile ‘Vote’ for every Defense Contractor expenditure), all so that he could…

Tool around in a Rolls Royce…

Cruise around in his Yacht the ‘Duke Stir’…

Slouch around his ‘Antiques and Persian Rug’-laden mansion…

And in addition to the hundreds of thousands of dollars in Cash he took as bribes…

…All the while 2,299 U.S. Troops are killed in Iraq

http://icasualties.org/oif/

All for the fun and profit and glory of Republican Randall ‘Duke’ Cunningham…

EIGHT YEARS AND FOUR MONTHS IS NOT ENOUGH.

He should have been shot.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:33 pm
Seth II says:

He admitted on camera to betraying the trust of his constituents, pled guilty, and seems to be accepting his punishment. He’s more of a man than Trafficant will ever be.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:36 pm
Optimist says:

#11,

I thought my use of humor was pretty good until I saw your post musing that “Rick (Santorum) is a good guy – he’s clean”. That is definitely the funniest thing that I’ve read all day! Your use of outrageous implausibility greatly augments the humor and gives it razor sharp sarcasm.

Thank you for the laugh.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:37 pm
Joe Sixpack says:

As “Duke” Cunningham might be thinking when he has to bend over and cough during the anus inspection of his strip search: Life can really suck, sometimes.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Kathleen Harris might be biting her lip about right now, too, having accepted thousands in illegal campaign contributions from the same Mitchell Wade that bribed Cunningham. Us rightwingers are pretty upset about that. I mean, all that work to be a respectable skank has been for nothing.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:39 pm
Stew says:

What does gettin’ caught with a pot plant in your house net a fella these days?
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:40 pm
scared says:

8 years 4 months is a nice round number, namely
100 months. For 2.4 million in bribes, and 1 million in tax evasion, total 3.4 million; that makes one month in prison for every $34,000 in ill-gotten gains, or one day for every ~$1,120.
Probably he cannot keep it, otherwise, it still would be considered profitable by those with lower
monthly incomes.–
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:43 pm
Optimist says:

#14,

Your attempt at humor by implying a scale that then qualifies some elected-representatives-convicted-of-bribery as being “better” than others based upon how they “manned up” for their punishment is hilarious in its absurdity. But not as funny as #11, sorry.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:43 pm
katy says:

joe! where’ve you been? i’ve been missin’ you and your wise words!
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:55 pm
mr ho says:

Here ya go Duke. I think this may be beneficial

White-Collar Crime
Prepping White-Collar Perps For Prison
Penelope Patsuris, 07.31.02, 8:00 AM ET
http://www.forbes.com/home/2002/07/31/0731prison.html
NEW YORK – Note to Samuel Waksal, Kenneth Lay, Bernard Ebbers, Dennis Kozlowski and the Rigas family: If you are in fact sentenced to do prison time, keep these pointers in mind. Inmate etiquette dictates that you don’t rat, don’t cut in line, don’t reach, don’t ask, don’t touch, don’t whine and flush often. And that’s just for starters.

From top: Waksal, Lay, Ebbers, Kozlowski

These tips are courtesy of David Novak, an ex-con and the author of Downtime: A Guide to Federal Incarceration, who makes his living by coaching white-collar convicts on how to get through the ordeal of doing prison time. He’s made a steady living out of this since he himself was released in 1997, and his professional endeavors are now perfectly aligned with today’s corporate criminal zeitgeist.

Novak is a font of federal incarceration information. He advises that fellow inmates will give new inmates a one-month grace period before they’re expected to understand and obey the joint’s code; explains that in federal facilities, conjugal visits are not permitted, but sending flowers is; and notes that some prison kitchens will make a reasonable effort to accommodate Kosher diets. He also says to pack light: The only personal property permitted is one soft-covered religious text, a religious medallion worth less than $50, a pair of eyeglasses, a wedding ring with no stones and dentures.

Understandably, Novak won’t say whether he’s involved with any of the cases making headlines lately, but he does expect that this current crop of corporate crooks will land some pretty stiff sentences if convicted. White-collar jail terms haven’t historically called for much more than a decade behind bars–and even the most notorious offenders have ended up serving far less time than they were sentenced.

Ivan Boesky, for instance, received just three years and served two. Jailed junk-bond king Michael Milken was originally sentenced to ten years, but also served just two. And considering that savings-and-loan shark Charles Keating’s scheme cost taxpayers a cool $3.4 billion, he got a relatively benign 12-year and seven-month sentence–and actually clocked just four years.

But public outrage with corporate America has hit a crescendo since those sentences were meted out, and prosecutors will be out for blood when they get Jeffrey Skilling et al. in their sights. Novak, who served ten months and 19 days for an $80,000 insurance fraud, may be able to help. For $125 an hour, he does everything from consult with defendants’ attorneys on sentencing guidelines to counseling the criminals and their families about how to endure a lockup.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:57 pm
katy says:

interesting guest on c-span this morning: the reporter that broke the original story of cunningham’s house deal…his impression of “duke” was that mostly the man was full of himself – not the real hero he made himself out to be…
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:59 pm
mr ho says:

….now we can add duke to the list above.
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:59 pm
mr ho says:

get ready for the duke prison beeeaaaatchh! jokes =)
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:01 pm
one eye buck tooth [X^B says:

WOOoOOOoo!!!!
Brokeback Prison!
Starrin Top Bunk Beeatch the Duke
and scooter as his sidekick
in this hairy thriller
starting mar 30
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:04 pm
SKdeA says:

So what’s the story on Presidential pardons? Can they be used for any crime, or are there limits? How many can he give out? Can they be blocked by Congress?
If George can pass out pardons as he sees fit the sentencing of any of these rats is a moot point, right?
Nonetheless, nice to see justice in action…
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:08 pm
Gerald Gibson says:

It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society. When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime. He takes up the trade of a priest for the sake of gain, and in order to qualify himself for that trade, he begins with a perjury. Can we conceive any thing more destructive to morality than this?

-Thomas Paine
Age of Reason
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:20 pm
dlet says:

lookie, lookie, oohhh its a GOPer. Trolls?
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:38 pm
dlet says:

I can’t wait for the “Duke Defense Fund”.
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:39 pm
British Gary says:

When Cunningham addressed U.S. District Judge Larry Burns he said, “I made a very wrong turn. I rationalized decisions I knew were wrong. I did that, sir,”

Why am I not surprised? Every damn neocon rationalises decisions they know are wrong. All part of the Noble Lie.
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:45 pm
TJM says:

Another US Attorney who took the conviction so his stats look good but settled for a lower sentence than Duke deserved. He’ll likely get a month off for each year he’s a model prisoner. So,for an 8 year 4 month sentence,he’ll serve 7 years,6 months.
Barring a pardon,of course.
US Attorneys do this all the time,I think,too, that a portion of Duke’s restitution goes to that USAtty.’s budget.
Everybody looks good since justice has a blindfold.
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:50 pm
WiscoDuk says:

#27

I think the preznit can pardon just about anyone…and will IF he see’s the the end of his “natural” term.
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:58 pm
Joe Sixpack says:

#20, katy! Thanks for asking. I have been in Mexico. Really. I had to cut it short and get back, as the Mexican peso is just too strong against the dollar. The peso was once the most inflated currency around but the dollar is so worthless outside the US you can’t afford crap now. Even a hamburger in London is $10.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but did you know that Mexico’s trade balance with the US was more than $50 billion last year? Did you know they paid their national debt down last year to $67 billion, from $78 billion in 2004? What was ours?

Did you know that Mexico’s unemployment is down to 3.58 percent in 2005? What was ours? Of course it sure does help when they can send all their poor and uneducated north and replace American workers. Those same poor workers sent home $20 billion from the US to further bolster the Mexican economy in 2006.

And I thought Mexican President Vincente Fox didn’t have all his stuff in one sock. I’m rethinking that, I’ll tell you. Maybe we can get him to come up here and replace that dumbass we have who is over visiting in Pakistan tonight.
March 3rd, 2006 at 9:03 pm
JPV says:

1 Down, 434 to go!!!

Hehehehehehehehehe…
March 3rd, 2006 at 9:07 pm
Clif says:

Joe you think the pakistani’s would keep the national foole? With complements to George Carlin
March 3rd, 2006 at 9:10 pm
katy says:

that is all very interesting, joe…such wise observations and statistics from a professed redneck! i’m so impressed…
if i hadn’t swore off beer drinkers -and rednecks – i could get a crush on one such as yourself!
March 3rd, 2006 at 9:17 pm
WiscoDuk says:

Of course it sure does help when they can send all their poor and uneducated north and replace American workers.

The no-so-funny part is the rethugs are pointing fingers at dems and saying- “your fault”. Remember Bushes “guest worker” bs and him speaking “mexikin” to Fox. Even told em he would make em “cityzins” if I remember right. Here we come amigo!

Sure helped BushCo with its union busting. Illegal “guest workers” have been a major factor in the split off of several building trades unions from the AFL-CIO… Not much union construction work these days- a major cause of the split.

Excuse being off-topic
March 3rd, 2006 at 9:30 pm
wisedup says:

if bush should make the mega mistake to pardon dukebird, I can picture the fires now. I hate riots.
March 3rd, 2006 at 9:58 pm
WiscoDuk says:

#39
I’m thinking that 3 years from now ole “dukebird” will seem like small taters. He’ll be long forgotten.
March 3rd, 2006 at 10:03 pm
Clif says:

Hell the pardon list will be a book.
March 3rd, 2006 at 10:13 pm
thot's n TN says:

rove bush cheney rice perle wolfwitz rumsfld card bolton delay the entire neo con groupo that invaded a country for its Natural resources belongs with tha duke .
March 3rd, 2006 at 10:16 pm
WiscoDuk says:

Heard a rumor-

Uncle Dick is planning to step down for health reasons. The plan is then to make Condi VP.

That’ll play well in the bible belt.
March 3rd, 2006 at 10:21 pm
dlet says:

I would love to know how much he would have gotten if he didn’t roll and squeal on his other little piggies.
March 3rd, 2006 at 10:36 pm
wisedup says:

duke duke duke, duke in jail jail jail…better give him a large cell, more on the way.
March 4th, 2006 at 12:06 am
Cyra Brown says:

#14- Yes, he did do those things. But this paragon of GOP virtue, (snort) also spent months DENYING the accusations against him. Declared his innocence to all and sundry, until the inevitable indictment was almost upon him. THEN he confessed to his crimes. Yup, a real stand-up, GOP kind of criminal. No wonder you are so proud of him.
March 4th, 2006 at 12:22 am
mr ho says:

looky thar a carlyle?
——————-
Ex-Hospital Exec, GOP Donor to Plead Guilty
FROM NEWSDAY
By Associated Press
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/
WASHINGTON — A former hospital company executive has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges in connection with $50,000 in illegal corporate campaign contributions over more than five years, the man’s lawyer and court papers said Friday.

Donald M. Boucher, who was a vice president of LifeCare Management Services of Plano, Texas, made the contributions between April 1997 and December 2002, prosecutors said in a filing in U.S. District Court in Washington.

LifeCare operates 21 hospitals in Louisiana, Texas and seven other states, according to the company’s Web site. Most of Boucher’s contributions went to Republican members of Congress, mainly from states with LifeCare hospitals, according to federal campaign records.

Individuals may contribute to federal candidates and committees, but corporate contributions are banned under federal law.

Prosecutors say Boucher was involved in a plan to be reimbursed for his contributions by LifeCare, said Jay Stewart, Boucher’s attorney in Austin, Texas. No date has been set for his plea hearing.

Another former LifeCare executive, David LeBlanc, remains under investigation, Stewart said. He represents LeBlanc as well.

LifeCare was acquired last summer by the Carlyle Group. Twenty-four patients died at a LifeCare facility on the grounds of a Tenet Healthcare Corp. hospital in New Orleans that was cut off by floodwaters from Hurricane
March 4th, 2006 at 12:54 am
Lady's Rule says:

What goes around comes around.
March 4th, 2006 at 1:06 am
G.W. Bush says:

Randy “Douche” Cunningham, the most corrupt government official in American history.

That status won’t last long though. There is a Republican Kentucky Derby of corruption under way and the politicans are just getting out of the gates as we read.

-GSD
March 4th, 2006 at 1:28 am
Clif says:

Including the actual governor of Kentucky, but he pardoned all his underlings already.
March 4th, 2006 at 1:48 am
Cyra Brown says:

Didn’t he pardon himself, while he was at it ? I seem to recall that story, from a while back, and that his “staff” hadn’t even been charged at the time, he was just covering his…bases, as it were ?
March 4th, 2006 at 3:01 am
Clif says:

No, I don’t think the governor can pardon himself. To charge the governor, he would have to be impeached I think.
March 4th, 2006 at 3:25 am
Cyra Brown says:

Dang I wish I could remember the story !! I do remember I was slack-jawed, reading it.
March 4th, 2006 at 3:43 am
Cyra Brown says:

Oh… wait.. maybe it was that since they had already been pardoned, they would not have to testify against him in court, as part of any “plea deals”. Maybe that was it. Or not.
March 4th, 2006 at 3:46 am
Clif says:

Yes and the governor has tried to stop the attorney general from investigating any further, by going to court and saying that his pardon closed down the investigation.
March 4th, 2006 at 3:52 am
Clif says:

Seems like the “Duke” Cunningham investigation has made its way to the CIA;

A stunning investigation of bribery and corruption in Congress has spread to the CIA, ABC News has learned.

The CIA Inspector General has opened an investigation into the spy agency’s executive director, Kyle “Dusty” Foggo, and his connections to two defense contractors accused of bribing a member of Congress and Pentagon officials.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=1684086&page=1
March 4th, 2006 at 4:17 am
Cyra Brown says:

#56- GREAT catch, Clif !!! The name “Foggo” does not bode well… the fact that he had been a “procurement supervisor”, before his “promotion”, is a HUGE red flag, I feel, anyway. That was the job Safavian had at the WH, and HE was led off in handcuffs, shortly after resigning from his position. Seems reasonable to be VERY suspicious of Mr. Foggo. Given everything we already know, it’s a pretty safe bet. Deeper and deeper it goes.
March 4th, 2006 at 4:42 am
Craig says:

On the day Tom “The Slammer” Delay was indicted I ordered 2 tubes of KY jelly and had them sent to Bug Boy’s office with a note reminding him that it might be needed when he gets to jail. I was tempted to do the same for the Dukester, but this bastard deserves sandpaper instead.
March 4th, 2006 at 5:19 am
Clif says:

March 03, 2006
Harris Hires Lawyer
Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL), the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Florida and linked to a brewing campaign finance scandal, has hired “top-gun campaign finance lawyer Ben Ginsberg” as a “precaution,” the Tampa Tribune reports.

“On the sixth day after she was identified as a recipient of illegal campaign contributions, the Republican congresswoman from Longboat Key stayed behind closed doors. She issued a statement in which she denied knowing that contributions made to her by defense contractor Mitchell Wade had been illegal.”

link;

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB5MTE1CKE.html
March 4th, 2006 at 5:21 am
romunov says:

IMO, he won’t be in long. :D
March 4th, 2006 at 8:08 am
Pete Bogs says:

he may in fact never see the outside world again… he asked to see his 91-year-old mother one more time before going into the joint but the judge refused… how proud she must be of her little boy right now… I’m sure he’s broken her heart, and that’s really sad…

greed leads to no good… watch Owning Mahowny to see the real effects…
March 4th, 2006 at 8:39 am
Marie says:

One down, a few dozen to go — followed by the biggest trial of the century — Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld and Rove. Broke and imprisoned — a fitting end.
March 4th, 2006 at 10:36 am
Clif says:

More on Gov. Fletcher’s scandal:

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) — Attorney General Greg Stumbo has asked the Kentucky Supreme Court to disqualify two political donors that Gov. Ernie Fletcher appointed as justices to hear his appeal in a state hiring case.

The attorney general’s office filed a motion on Friday asking that the Jeffrey T. Burdette of Mount Vernon and Ronald L. Green of Lexington not be allowed to hear a case that seeks to stop a special grand jury from issuing more indictments against members of the Fletcher administration.

That grand jury has indicted 13 current and former administration officials and associates for alleged violations of state hiring laws.

Fletcher also is seeking to prevent the grand jury from issuing a final report on whether his administration illegally based rank-and-file personnel decisions on politics instead of candidates’ qualifications.

http://www.wave3.com/global/story.asp?s=4581979

Break the law, pardon all the associates who helped you, and might make a deal to testify against you, and then appoint judges that will kill the investigation, George Bush wishes he could work this smoothly.
March 4th, 2006 at 11:02 am
Marie says:

Joe SixPack!!
I was afraid you had either been banished or abandoned us. It’s good to see you are back!
March 4th, 2006 at 11:15 am
banana says:

well if we can handle 8 years of Bush, 8 years of prison shouldn’t be too bad for ‘ol Duke.
March 4th, 2006 at 11:19 am
big papa says:

Duke Cunningham will be out in six months due to “health reasons”…

…he’ll STILL have all of the sh*t he was given…

…but the MOST tragic miscarriage of justice will be:

Duke Cunningham will STILL collect his CONGRESSIONAL PENSION…

They don’t call these “GOLDEN PARACHUTES for nothin’ baby!
March 4th, 2006 at 11:25 am
Ergy Earp says:

I sense a Presidential pardon on the way for any and all of these corrupt Republicans….unfortunately.
March 4th, 2006 at 11:38 am
NEOCONVICT says:

One down… 499 to go…

Now let’s talk about the one Congressional candidate progressives should be paying attention to.

Clint Curtis is mounting a congressional bid in Florida against Tom Feeney. As many of you know, Curtis was the programmer hired by Feeney to write election-stealing software a few years back. Since then, much has happened, including the suspicious death of the Florida Inspector General Raymond Lemme looking into the matter and the total media clampdown of any serious discussion of electronic election manipulation in Florida and across the nation. Curtis, a former Republican, became so disgusted by what he saw that he became a whistleblower. The whole sordid tale is chronicled on http://www.bradblog.com.

Here’s Curtis in his own words:

My name is Clint Curtis. I am considering running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida’s 24th Congressional District. This great district is currently represented by one of the most corrupt politicians in history. Having personally attended closed-door meetings where Tom Feeney spoke candidly about his aspirations of corruption forces me to provide this district with an alternative to this man. I will need your help.

http://www.clintcurtis.com

Now Curtis is considering a congressional run against the VERY well-funded Feeney. He promises to fight for fair elections and to expose electronic vote fraud. He is the ONLY candidate who will take it to the NeoCons on this issue. And he needs our help. He’s got to raise $300K in the next month in order to take on Feeney. Note that being a man of integrity, if he does not run he plans to return all contributions.

Because of his willingness to take on election fraud, I believe Curtis may be the single most important candidate for the progressive community to promote. Please visit his web site and offer to help, donate even $5 if you can spare it, and help spread the word. It’s time to TAKE BACK AMERICA–and Mr. Curtis may be own only chance of overcoming a rigged election system.

http://www.clintcurtis.com
March 4th, 2006 at 12:56 pm
canuckistani says:

Hate to rain on everyones “happy” parade, but does anyone know which “club Fed” prison he is doing his time in. Is there a golf coarse?
March 4th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
Glenn Becker says:

“Rick is a good guy – heâ€™s clean.”

If you except the facts that he is deathly skeered o’ them SODOMITES massing on the horizon to gut the the flawless institution of pure heterosexual matrimony, and that he runs a charity which funnels most of the money away into his buddies’, er, pockets, well I guess …

Or maybe you are using the word “clean” as The Beatles did to describe Paul’s uncle in /A Hard Day’s Night/.

Or maybe you wouldn’t mind having a beer with him?

Hm. I shall have to think further about this universe-ripping statement of yours.
March 4th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
bill says:

Not long enough! Now, does the gov get the money back?
March 4th, 2006 at 5:20 pm
california_reality_check says:

canuckistani – From the San Diego Union – He is scheduled to be moved Friday to a medical institution for evaluation, and, if the bureau follows the judge’s recommendation, to a privately run federal facility in Taft.
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8 years, 4 months.

8 years, 4 months.

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