Mitchell Wade pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiring with former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to bribe the lawmaker with cash, cars and antiques, and to help him evade millions of dollars in tax liability.
Wade, former president of defense contractor MZM Inc. in Washington, also acknowledged making nearly $80,000 in illegal campaign contributions in the names of MZM employees and their spouses to two other members of Congress, who were not identified. The lawmakers apparently were unaware the donations were illegal, according to court papers.
Prosecutors also laid out a second, separate conspiracy in which Wade was alleged to have paid bribes to a Defense Department official and other employees in return for their help in awarding contracts to his company. Wade pleaded guilty to this scheme as well. The Pentagon employees were not named in court filings.
A website that’s tracked this schmuck for a while is the “unauthorized” www.dukecunningham.org. A politician who floated a boatload of hypocrisy.
“two other members of Congress, who were not identified.”
“I paid #1 million in bribes” – to my favorite Congresman !
Now they are both going to jail, as it should be.
Maybe the next administration will have the cahjones to prosecute a few more corrupt politicians. Especially those who lied under oath to Congress.
Seems like this administration is doing something. It is a start anyway. I hate to sound cynical but I think they could get most of them for this if they would dig deeply enough. Would it really be so bad to get rid of them all, both democrat and republican, and start over?
Shane
Yes it would be bad if they had to start over again with a completely new slate of representatives. Over the last few years a number of states set term limits under the belief that career lawmakers became corrupt. Well, not only are most politicians NOT corrupt, but by removing the most experienced people, you lose. In these circumstances, it ends up being the bureaucrats running the show for the inexperienced politicians to rubber stamp.
Yes, but by starting with all new ones, even the bureaucrats would have to start anew. Pointless argument anyway. It will never happen.
Next — DeLay!
The father of congressional corruption.
to #6….geez…congress has been a hot bed of corruption since 1776.
you blue state, red state types need to get over blaming everything on eachother. blame yourselves, everyone hates congress but almost always re-elect THEIR congressman/woman.