Randy "Duke" Cunningham was once a powerful congressman from California. However, things began to change when he decided taxpayer funds were his to dispense as he wanted to people that he liked.
Cunningham ultimately pleaded guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes including a Rolls Royce automobile and a yacht from people who wanted to sell things to the Department of Defense. In return, Cunningham helped his buddies get preferential treatment in the appropriations process and inside the Pentagon. Ultimately, this meant that public funds needed to support the real needs of the military were subverted to dishonest contractors who got business because they bribed a Congressman.
Fortunately, Cunningham was caught, prosecuted and is now serving a jail sentence. Cunningham’s wasteful spending earned him bribes from contractors and a prison sentence from the U.S. Government. To read a copy of the official documents charging Cunningham as well as the plea agreement he entered, click here:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/28/cunningham
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