A Bribery Menu?

[akhhorus]

Nice that the Dukester at least was honest on how corrupt he was....

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=1667009&page=1

Feb. 27, 2006 — Prosecutors call it a corruption case with no parallel in the long history of the U.S. Congress. And it keeps getting worse. Convicted Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham actually priced the illegal services he provided.

Prices came in the form of a "bribe menu" that detailed how much it would cost contractors to essentially order multimillion-dollar government contracts, according to documents submitted by federal prosecutors for Cunningham's sentencing hearing this Friday.

"The length, breadth and depth of Cunningham's crimes," the sentencing memorandum states, "are unprecedented for a sitting member of Congress."

Prosecutors will ask federal Judge Larry Burns to impose the statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The sentencing memorandum includes the California Republican's "bribery menu" on one of his congressional note cards, "starkly framed" under the seal of the United States Congress.

The card shows an escalating scale for bribes, starting at $140,000 and a luxury yacht for a $16 million Defense Department contract. Each additional $1 million in contract value required a $50,000 bribe.

The rate dropped to $25,000 per additional million once the contract went above $20 million.

[Spence]

Tip o' the iceberg, my friends.

[RedskinsDave]

At least he started discounting the price adjustment at a certain level. To continue at $50K a shot would have been highway robbery. Oh wait....

[Ibleedburgundy]

This one adds more names to the list.

Wade, MZM's former president, also admitted making nearly $80,000 in illegal campaign contributions in the names of MZM employees and their spouses to two other members of Congress, identifiable from Federal Election Commission records as Rep. Virgil Goode (news, bio, voting record), R-Va., and Rep. Katherine Harris (news, bio, voting record), R-Fla.

"Wade targeted these two members of Congress because he believed that they had the ability to request appropriations funding that would benefit MZM," U.S. Attorney Kenneth Wainstein of Washington said at a news conference following Wade's plea hearing.

The lawmakers apparently were unaware the donations were illegal, prosecutors said. Goode and Harris have said they would donate campaign funds to charity in the amount of contributions they received from MZM.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060224/ap_on_go_co/congressman_bribery_plea

[RedskinsDave]

The lawmakers apparently were unaware the donations were illegal, prosecutors said. Goode and Harris have said they would donate campaign funds to charity in the amount of contributions they received from MZM.


If they didn't know and are willing to donate the funds to charity, I can't see how these folks are like the rest.

[Ibleedburgundy]

I included that part of the article to be fair. Still seems fishy. We'll see.

[CNYSkinFan]

Katherine Harris...again....why can't she just go hunt down some Dalmations or something.

[Axegrinder]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11655893/
SAN DIEGO - Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham began his first day in prison after being sentenced to eight years and four months for taking $2.4 million in homes, yachts and other bribes in a corruption scheme unmatched in the annals of Congress.

Cunningham’s sentence Friday 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.

[dukeuch]

If they didn't know and are willing to donate the funds to charity, I can't see how these folks are like the rest.

Like most common criminals, they are very, very sorry...when they get caught.