Contractor in Cunningham Case Found Guilty on All Counts

By Dan Eggen and Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, November 6, 2007; A08

A defense contractor was convicted yesterday in federal court in San Diego of showering then-Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) with more than $700,000 in bribes, including money for a mortgage, a yacht and prostitutes.

Brent R. Wilkes, 53, was convicted on 13 felony counts, including bribery, conspiracy, fraud and money laundering, and faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 28. His attorney said he plans to appeal.

The conviction is the latest victory for federal prosecutors in their ongoing investigation of corruption scandals surrounding Cunningham, who is serving an eight-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2005 to accepting $2.4 million in bribes from Wilkes and others...

...

Wilkes is also charged in a separate case connected to a childhood friend, former CIA executive director Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, who allegedly was offered a job by Wilkes and treated to lavish golf vacations in exchange for help getting government contracts. Wilkes's attorneys have said he was just being generous to an old friend.

Two others have pleaded guilty to federal crimes for their dealings with Cunningham, including Wilkes's friend and fellow defense contractor Mitchell J. Wade, who admitted giving Cunningham more than $1 million for $150 million in government contracts.

The prosecution of Cunningham and related defendants came under scrutiny by Congress after the Justice Department's decided to fire Carol C. Lam, the U.S. attorney in San Diego who oversaw Cunningham's guilty plea and other developments. Some Democrats alleged that Lam may have been forced out in an attempt to short-circuit the probes, but Justice Department officials said she was removed for other reasons...[Open in new window]