From Cash to Yachts, Convicted Congressman Set Bribery Rates(Cunningham)

[RedEarth]

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.

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

[hatrack]

1. Bribery with a business plan and fee structure . . .

Let no one say that the Duke Stir didn't have a well-organized sense of priorities!

:puke:

[Mandate My Ass]

2. What a guy, he gave volume discounts

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. :eyes:

[mom cat]

4. Frequent felony points!

[Mandate My Ass]

5. LOL!

too true... :rofl:

[UpInArms]

3. How much more plain can it be? THE GOP IS SELLING OUR GOVERNMENT

TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER!

A freakin' "menu" of bribes under the "Congressional Seal"????

RUN THESE BUMS OUT OF WASHINGTON AND IMPRISON THEM FOR THIS -

TRAITORS TO OUR COUNTRY!

[Psephos]

6. This 'puke may have been the worst ever

What better evidence do voters need that it's time for a change of majority in Congress?

Time to get the message out....

Peace.

[atreides1]

9. Not the Worst

Only the worst one to be caught, I'm sure there are others, to include members of the administration as well as uniformed officers within the Pentagon who have done the same thing.

The only difference is that they have not been caught, yet!!!!

[0007]

7. What a fucking idiot!

"In my life, I have had great joy and great sorrow," Cunningham said after admitting his crimes. "And now I know great shame."

And now the great big prison waits for your stinking ass

[donkeyotay]

8. Of course, these contractors went along with this system of bribes

I think Cheney was the chief architect of privatizing the military. Somehow having our country defended by its own army was seen as inefficient. Yes, it is much more efficient this way - having congressmen take bribes to dole out contracts whether the military even wants whatever they're selling or not. This is the tip of the corruption iceberg. I doubt that Cunningham was a special case... or they would have dimed him out, right?