As sleazy politicos go, Cunningham was tops

By CHARLES R. BABCOCK and WALTER PINCUS
WASHINGTON POST
"The bribes Cunningham demanded and received ran the gamut from the routine (expensive meals, hotels and travel) to the peculiar (buck knives, lasershot simulator system), the audacious (demands that a defense contractor pay defendant's cross-country moving expenses and additional cash bribes so the defendant could comfortably pay capital gains tax on a prior bribe conveyed through a housing transaction), the self-indulgent (luxury vehicles, yachts, homes, an antique Louise Philippe commode, Persian rugs) and the truly astonishing ($500,000, divided into two checks from one defense contractor, and a $525,000 wire transfer from a second defense contractor). Cunningham has admitted the receipt of at least $2.4 million in bribes since 2000 ..."
That is taken from a 29-page Justice Department memo on Randall "Duke" Cunningham describing why government lawyers are seeking the maximum 10-year prison term for the formere California congressman. Cunningham, who pleaded guilty to bribery and resigned from Congress, will be sentenced today.
"The Routine"
Defense contractors "routinely and lavishly" entertained Cunningham at his favorite restaurants.
The memo: "Cunningham grew to expect luxury. His co-conspirators eagerly plied him with it. ...
"Cunningham would also be flown on private jets by these co-conspirators to various locales around the country. These private jets would cost thousands of dollars to charter. Meals on such private jets would be catered, and would include expensive bottles of wine, lobster and other extravagances. Accommodations were invariably exclusive, top-of-the-line hotels or resorts ..."
"The Peculiar"
The memo illustrates that Cunningham grasped bribery payments in amounts both large and small. While he asked for and received payments from contractors in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, he also accepted "gifts" of much lesser value, such as the "Laser Shot Shooting Simulator."
The memo: "This device is used primarily by federal and state agencies to train officers on marksmanship, shot placements and critical decision making skills. Among other things, the device comes with recorded video scenarios that assists (sic) the shooter in evaluating the situation and making appropriate shooting decisions." ... One of the devices "was installed in his Cunningham's (sic) Congressional Office on Capital (sic) Hill."
"The Audacious"
The memo details how Cunningham sold a home in Del Mar, Calif., at a greatly inflated price to defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who pleaded guilty Friday in the case, and then asked the contractor for more money to help pay the capital gains tax on the transaction. In another instance, Cunningham demanded that Wade pay to ship a collection of expensive antiques, rugs and other furnishings from Virginia to California -- items that he had bought for Cunningham.
The memo: "Cunningham instructed Coconspirator No. 2 to write him a check for $115,100 and send it to his San Diego congressional office. To conceal the transaction, Cunningham asked that the check (no. 4704) be made payable to Cunningham's military memorabilia business, Top Gun Enterprises Inc."
"The Self-Indulgent"
The memo describes the complex deals through which Cunningham acquired a $350,000 Virginia condo and a $2.55 million California mansion with the bribe money from defense contractors. Equally convoluted agreements provided the congressman with two yachts, one a 47-foot boat he named the "Duke-Stir," the collection of antiques and rugs, and a Rolls-Royce, as outlined here.
The memo: "In approximately April 2002, Cunningham demanded $10,000 from Coconspirator No. 2 to purchase a used Rolls Royce. Coconspirator No. 2 gave Cunningham the money. When the car arrived at the Port of Baltimore, the contractor dropped off Cunningham to pick up the vehicle. Cunningham then demanded, and the contractor paid, thousands of dollars to restore the car."
"The Truly Astonishing"
The memo outlines how Cunningham inveigled contractors to provide him with funds to pay off more than a million dollars in two mortgages on the $2.55 million mansion that they had essentially bought for him. One contractor paid him $525,000 on condition that he receive an additional $6 million in government funds; the other paid him $500,000 in return for Cunningham's promise to support a specific defense appropriations request.
The memo: "But Cunningham was still not done. In August 2004, Cunningham demanded that Coconspirator No. 2 pay him $500,000 to eliminate the remaining mortgage burdens for his Rancho Santa Fe mansion. In return, Cunningham promised to support a specific defense appropriations request. Coconspirator No. 2 agreed. To disguise this bribe, Coconspirator No. 2 divided the $500,000 into two unequal checks ... both made out to Top Gun Enterprises. ..."
"The Bribe Menu"
For nearly 10 years, Cunningham in effect "erected a 'for sale' sign upon our nation's capital," the memo says, showing as evidence what it called a "bribe menu," a handwritten list on Cunningham's stationery.
The memo: "In this 'bribe menu,' the left column represented the millions in government contracts that could be 'ordered' from Cunningham. The right column was the amount of the bribes that the Congressman was demanding in exchange for the contracts."
The memo also urges the maximum sentence because Cunningham "tampered with witnesses to interfere with the administration of justice."