Source:
NC TimesBrent Wilkes, the Poway man who was at the center of the corruption scandal that brought down former U.S. Rep Randy "Duke" Cunningham, is expected to leave federal prison today, his attorney said.
On Monday, a federal judge signed the order allowing Wilkes to leave prison on bail while he appeals his conviction for the bribery of the ex-North County Republican lawmaker. As of this morning, however, the 54-year-old remained behind bars at Terminal Island Federal Correctional Institution in Los Angeles County.
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Wilkes is one of two defense contractors convicted of bribing Cunningham in exchange for lucrative contracts worth millions. The second contractor, Mitchell Wade, was sentenced last month to 2 1/2 years in prison for his guilty plea to bribery.
Cunningham, who represented North County's 50th Congressional District, is nearly three years into a more than eight-year sentence for his guilty pleas to charges of tax evasion and accepting bribes.
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Prosecutors argued Wilkes bribed Cunningham with $636,000 in mortgage payments for the then-congressman's home and boat, as well as with lavish vacations and encounters with prostitutes. In return, prosecutors said, Cunningham steered more than $80 million in taxpayer-funded defense contracts to Wilkes' now-defunct firm, ADCS Inc.
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http://www.northcountytimes.com/articles/2009/01/06/news/sandiego/ze342218212e8e1f28825753600689633.txt