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(Photo: AP)
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Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison for taking $2.4 million in homes, yachts and other bribes in a corruption scheme unmatched in the annals of Congress.
Cunningham's sentence, handed down March 3, 2006, was described by attorneys for both sides as the longest prison sentence ever given to a member of Congress. U.S. District Judge Larry Burns spared him the 10-year maximum after the defense asked for six years.
"Your honor I have ripped my life to shreds due to my actions, my actions that I did to myself," Cunningham said before the sentence was announced. He also asked to see his 91-year-old mother before going to prison.
He was also ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution for back taxes. He also must forfeit an additional $1.85 million for cash bribes he received, plus the proceeds from the sale of his mansion.
The judge credited Cunningham for his military service and for standing in front of a courthouse in November and taking responsibility for his crimes and resigning from Congress.
Looking at Cunningham, the judge told him: "You weren't wet. You weren't cold. You weren't hungry and yet you did these things."
Cunningham pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from defense contractors and others in exchange for steering government contracts their way. They included a Rolls-Royce, a yacht, homes, travel, meals, Persian rugs valued at $40,000 each and various antique furnishings.
Cunningham, a Republican, represented San Diego-area districts for 15 years. The scale of his wrongdoing surpasses anything in the history of Congress, according to official Senate and House historians.
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