| Better than the sleezeball deserved. |
It was the longest prison sentence ever given a U.S. congressman, prosecutors said, topping the eight-year sentence given in 2002 to Ohio Democrat James Traficant for bribery, tax evasion and racketeering.
Cunningham, a decorated Vietnam War pilot and eight-term California Republican who tearfully resigned from the House of Representatives in November, was also ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution.
"After years of service to my country I made a wrong turn,"
| More than one. This guy's path was as crooked as the hind leg of a skunk that got run over several times. |
Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Larry Burns to give Cunningham the maximum of 10 years in prison, while defense lawyers had sought six.
In choosing the middle term, Burns cited Cunningham's "profound medical problems" -- which include prostate cancer, thyroid problems and bad knees -- war service and expressions of remorse. | poor baby. This SOB suborned the defense contracting process and I am not inclined to have sympathy for his sorry ass. |
'WELL-DESERVED'
With credits for good behavior behind bars, the judge said, "you will be out before you are 71 years old." Cunningham was expected to undergo a medical evaluation before he is sent to a federal prison.
"Today's sentence is a sad but well-deserved ending to Mr. Cunningham's political career," prosecutor Jason Forge said after the hearing. Cunningham's plea agreement calls for him to cooperate with prosecutors in an ongoing investigation.
In pleading guilty, Cunningham admitted taking cash, antiques, a yacht, vacation expenses and money for his daughter's graduation party from several defense contractors between 2000 and 2005.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, said in a statement that Cunningham's sentence "should send a strong message that no one is above breaking our nation's laws, including the Members of Congress who make them."
Hastert added: "It is my hope that Congressman Cunningham will spend his incarceration thinking long and hard about how he broke the trust of the voters that elected him and those on Capitol Hill who served with him."
The Cunningham investigation has spread to the Central Intelligence Agency, where the CIA inspector general has opened a probe into executive director, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo.
Foggo, the third-highest official at the CIA, has been reported in the U.S. media to be friendly with a businessman accused of receiving Pentagon contracts through Cunningham's influence. But CIA officials said there was no suggestion of impropriety in any of Foggo's dealings.