Tuesday, November 29, 2005

No wonder he was crying

Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's plea agreement detailed the bribes he accepted. Especially notable are the two antique commodes and the "hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash." When you plead guilty to bribery, do you have to give the stuff back?

• $200,000 toward the purchase of his Arlington, Va., condominium.
• $140,000 to a third party for the "Duke-Stir" yacht, which was moved to his boat slip for his use.
• $12,000 paid to an antique store for three night stands, a leaded glass cabinet, a washstand, a buffet and four armoires.
• $7,200 paid to an antique store for a circa 1850 Louis Phillipe period commode and a circa 1830 Restoration period commode.
• $13,500 toward the purchase of a Rolls-Royce.
• $17,889.96 for repairs to the Rolls-Royce.
• $9,200 paid to a manufacturer for two Laser Shot shooting simulators.
• Hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash to him and a company he controlled.