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| 5/24 |
| 2006/3/3-6 [Politics/Domestic/President/Bush, Politics/Domestic/Crime] UID:42089 Activity:high |
3/3 http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/03/cunningham.sentence.ap Take a bribe for $2 mil for only 10 years in prison. That's still over 2X the amount I make a year as an engineer and 1.5X the amount average Harvard MBAs make. Moral of the story: it's ok to take a bribe as long as the amount is big enough, because it pays off. \_ You think being in prison, even a country club prison, for 10 years is worth it? I'll take my freedom thanks. The price for freedom is way higher than 2x your salary. \_ Seriously. this douchebag op thinks prison can't be any harder than a day away from his computer, and actually doesn't realize how he'd likely die within one week, literally, of prison life. people the likes of us on the motd don't last long in prison. \_ My old CS250 TA did a year in county lock-up. It wasn't fun, but he survived ok. He's a really sweet guy too. \_ Did you read the article? First off, it's all in gifts, it's not like they just handed him $2.4mil. Two, he probably doesn't get to keep the stuff. Three, he's old and in poor health. I don't think I'd take $2mil to die in prison. \_ He's also probably going to face a big fine as well. An earlier version of that article claimed $1.6M, but the current article on CNN doesn't say.... \_ He's also probably going to face a big fine as well. According to Yahoo News, he was ordered to pay $1.8M and return $1.85M in valuables. I'm inclined to think that this contradicts the "Moral of the story" you've asserted, OP. \_ He doesn't get to keep it. In fact, it's being auctioned off. http://www.treas.gov/auctions/customs/p030206.html He got 100 months, btw. (8y4m) In sheer dollar amounts, his is the largest set of bribes discovered in the history of the house. \_ I don't buy this crap about being the largest set of bribes. Surely the money Bush or Cheney personally gained from the Iraq war would make this seems like pocket change. \_ Perhaps they mean the largest in the sense of "the largest where there's been a conviction". \_ How much did they each make? \_ I'm glad you think rich people conspire "illegal" ways to get richer. |
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| www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/03/cunningham.sentence.ap -> www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/03/cunningham.sentence.ap/ It was the longest term ever meted out to a congressman. Cunningham, who resigned from Congress in disgrace last year, was spared the 10-year maximum by US District Judge Larry Burns. Cunningham, a Republican who resigned last year in disgrace, accepted money from defense contractors and others in exchange for steering government contracts their way and other favors. Federal prosecutors sought the maximum and his attorneys asked for mercy. Cunningham, choking up as he addressed the judge, focused on accepting blame. "Your honor I have ripped my life to shreds due to my actions, my actions that I did to myself," he said. Before Cunningham's sentence, the longest term ever meted out to a congressman was the eight years former Rep. James Traficant, an Ohio Democrat received in 2002 for taking payoffs. Cunningham's attorneys asked for six years for the former Navy "Top Gun" flight instructor and Vietnam War flying ace. Given Cunningham's age and history of prostate cancer, a 10-year sentence "would likely be a death sentence," Cunningham's lawyers wrote in a sentencing memorandum. "His own misconduct has already left him penniless, homeless, estranged from those he loves and disgraced in the eyes of his countrymen," they wrote. The 64-year-old Cunningham wrote to US District Judge Larry Burns last month that in any case he was "ready to pay my debt to society." "With God's grace, I will accept your sentence without complaint," he wrote. The staggering details of Cunningham's wrongdoing surpass anything in the history of Congress, Senate and House historians said. His bribes included a Rolls-Royce, a yacht, homes, travel, meals, $40,000 Persian rugs and antique furnishings. "In the sheer dollar amount, he is the most corrupt," said Deputy House Historian Fred W Beuttler. Cunningham pleaded guilty November 28 to tax evasion and a conspiracy involving four others. Defense contractor Mitchell Wade pleaded guilty last month to plying Cunningham with more than $1 million in gifts over four years. |
| www.treas.gov/auctions/customs/p030206.html Los Angeles Auction 3/23/06 Cunningham's Cache: Federal Government Announces Auction Date for Former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham's Antiques and Home Furnishings. March 2, 2006 Los Angeles, CA -- The IRS-Criminal Investigation today announces the public auction of former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's forfeited antiques and home furnishings. The auction will take place on March 23, 2006, at a Treasury Department seized property auction in Rancho Dominguez, CA. Public previews for the auction will take place Tuesday, March 21 and 22, from 9 am to 4 pm, at the EG&G Technical Services warehouse, located at 2332 E Pacifica Place, Rancho Dominguez, CA. The sale also contains seized and forfeited assets from other law enforcement activities by the IRS-Criminal Investigation and other federal agencies. Cunningham ultimately resigned from the House, and forfeited these assets as part of his plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Cunningham is scheduled to be sentenced Friday, March 3, 2006. This case was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI, DCIS, and prosecuted by the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. Proceeds from the auction of Cunningham's assets will be deposited into the Treasury Asset Forfeiture Fund, where they will be split among the investigative agencies to help support continued law enforcement efforts. |