Posted on 05/16/2008 8:44:56 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
A New York financier was sentenced Friday to more than eight years in federal prison for laundering bribes to former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham.
A tearful Thomas Kontogiannis apologized and pleaded for leniency, but District Judge Larry Burns ordered him to serve eight years and one month in prison. Prosecutors wanted the maximum 10-year sentence.
"You caused people to think ... this (system) doesn't work," Burns told Kontogiannis.
"I just hope the opportunity is given to me to make good to the people that I let down," Kontogiannis said.
Kontogiannis, 59, pleaded guilty one count of money laundering in February 2007. A quintuple-bypass surgery in New York had delayed sentencing.
The judge ordered him to begin serving his sentence immediately.
Prosecutors said the financier helped Cunningham launder hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from defense contractors including Brent Wilkes, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in February for bribery and other charges.
Cunningham is serving eight years and four months in prison. The eight-term Republican congressman from San Diego and Vietnam War flying ace pleaded guilty in 2005 to accepting $2.4 million in bribes from Wilkes and others - including antiques, boats, a used Rolls-Royce and cash to pay the mortgage on his mansion.
Another contractor, Mitchell Wade, pleaded guilty to bribery in 2006 and admitted giving Cunningham kickbacks more than $1 million in kickbacks for about $150 million in government contracts. Wade is scheduled to be sentenced later this year.
waaaa boo hoo
Any word on Foggo? Seems like he is the last one left, isn’t he?
(other than Kontogiannis family members, that is)
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