disrupter
11-06-2007, 01:07 PM
Jury Finds Wilkes Guilty
Contractor convicted of conspiracy and bribery in Cunningham scandal
By Greg Moran
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 6, 2007
A federal jury convicted Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes yesterday for his role in engineering the biggest bribery scheme in congressional history, a verdict that closed another chapter in the scandal surrounding former Rep. Randy Duke Cunningham.
Wilkes stood with his hands clasped in front of him next to his lawyer, Mark Geragos, as the court clerk read the word “guilty” 13 times in the packed courtroom of Judge Larry A. Burns.
He was convicted of conspiracy, bribery, money laundering and honest services wire fraud. He shook his head “no” slightly and gave a small frown twice – once at the start of the litany, and again when the conviction for bribery was announced.
. . . .
Wilkes' sentence will likely be longer than the eight-year, four-month term Cunningham received after the Rancho Santa Fe Republican pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion and admitted taking $2.4 million in bribes from Wilkes and others.
Federal sentencing guidelines carry strict punishments for bribery, even for someone with no criminal past like Wilkes, said Martin.
The value of the federal contracts that prosecutors said Wilkes' company received as a result of bribing the congressman will also weigh heavily. Prosecutors said he gave Cunningham $625,000 in cash and tens of thousands more in gifts, and received more than $80 million in contracts.
“The more you steal, the more that you benefit from your crime, the harsher the federal sentence,” Martin said. “This guy got a lot of money. And as a result, he's going to get a lot of time.”
The problems for Wilkes, once the highflying head of his own company, which he began in 1995, are far from over.
Wilkes, 53, faces trial in a second case charging that he gave gifts, expensive golf vacations and promises of a job to former CIA executive director Kyle “Dusty” Foggo, a childhood friend, in return for Foggo's help in getting lucrative contracts from the agency.http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071106-9999-1n6wilkes.html
Contractor convicted of conspiracy and bribery in Cunningham scandal
By Greg Moran
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 6, 2007
A federal jury convicted Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes yesterday for his role in engineering the biggest bribery scheme in congressional history, a verdict that closed another chapter in the scandal surrounding former Rep. Randy Duke Cunningham.
Wilkes stood with his hands clasped in front of him next to his lawyer, Mark Geragos, as the court clerk read the word “guilty” 13 times in the packed courtroom of Judge Larry A. Burns.
He was convicted of conspiracy, bribery, money laundering and honest services wire fraud. He shook his head “no” slightly and gave a small frown twice – once at the start of the litany, and again when the conviction for bribery was announced.
. . . .
Wilkes' sentence will likely be longer than the eight-year, four-month term Cunningham received after the Rancho Santa Fe Republican pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion and admitted taking $2.4 million in bribes from Wilkes and others.
Federal sentencing guidelines carry strict punishments for bribery, even for someone with no criminal past like Wilkes, said Martin.
The value of the federal contracts that prosecutors said Wilkes' company received as a result of bribing the congressman will also weigh heavily. Prosecutors said he gave Cunningham $625,000 in cash and tens of thousands more in gifts, and received more than $80 million in contracts.
“The more you steal, the more that you benefit from your crime, the harsher the federal sentence,” Martin said. “This guy got a lot of money. And as a result, he's going to get a lot of time.”
The problems for Wilkes, once the highflying head of his own company, which he began in 1995, are far from over.
Wilkes, 53, faces trial in a second case charging that he gave gifts, expensive golf vacations and promises of a job to former CIA executive director Kyle “Dusty” Foggo, a childhood friend, in return for Foggo's help in getting lucrative contracts from the agency.http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071106-9999-1n6wilkes.html