« previous | MUCK HOME | next »
Mystery Cunningham Figure Pleads Guilty
One of the hanging threads of the Duke Cunningham case has been the fate of Thomas Kontogiannis, the Greek businessman implicated in Cunningham's plea for bribing the congressman. Today, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Kontogiannis actually pled guilty back in February, but that the documents had been under seal until now:
A New York financier has admitted playing a key role in the scandal that brought down former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, according to a guilty plea unsealed this week.Thomas Kontogiannis said he helped finance the purchase of Cunningham's $2.5 million house in Rancho Santa Fe, in a deal that evolved from two military contractors' alleged plans to bribe the congressman....
Kontogiannis, in a guilty plea that was rendered under seal in February but made public in San Diego federal court this week, admitted providing $1.1 million in mortgages for the Rancho Santa Fe house even though he believed the home purchase involved “the proceeds of illegal activity.”
Beyond the home deal, Kontogiannis also said he financed the purchase of Cunningham's condominium in Arlington, Va., and bought Cunningham's yacht – even though he had no interest in owning the boat and knew that he was overpaying.
Kontogiannis, who had sought Cunningham's help when fighting bribery charges in New York, said he agreed to the transactions “because he wanted to maintain his relationship with Cunningham, a powerful public official who could assist him in many ways,” according the plea.
Kontogiannis' guilty plea was signed on February 9th (you can read it here), just days before Carol Lam, the U.S. attorney who led the Cunningham investigation, but who was fired along with seven other U.S. attorneys last year, stepped down. The deal carries a maximum sentence of ten years, but Kontogiannis' plea likely means he'll get less. There is nothing in the plea agreement to indicate that Kontogiannis is actively cooperating with prosecutors to implicate others. Kontogiannis is scheduled to be sentenced November 26th.
It's long been somewhat of a mystery what Kontogiannis was getting in exchange for his bribes. The prosecutors seem to be subscribing to the theory floated in a Copley news piece last year, that Kontogiannis, a businessman, used Cunningham to meet world leaders, who included President Bush and the Saudi crown prince.
Comments (12)
steve duncan wrote on June 15, 2007 11:41 AM:Has Kontogiannis served time for anything? Every article I read about him details a laundry list of indictments, convictions, pleas, accusations, prosecutions and every other noun and adjective you can use to describe criminal activities. A layman viewing his rap sheet would think he's lived more years behind bars than free of them. I think the lesson here is if you're going to commit multiple felonies make sure your cohorts are very important people the government has more interest in nailing. Or not nailing, either works. As long as Tommy's songbook has several tunes left he'll be strolling in the park along with the rest of us.
JP Stormcrow wrote on June 15, 2007 11:59 AM:"February 9th ... just days before Carol Lam, the U.S. attorney who led the Cunningham investigation, but who was fired along with seven other U.S. attorneys last year, stepped down."
DOJ Central may not have derailed the whole Cunningham investigation, but they certainly muddied it. You know they should have covered the eyes of the "Spirit of Justice" statue, not the "naughty" parts.
cmc wrote on June 15, 2007 12:04 PM:Kontogiannis is still baffling. The guy is worth at least $70 million- so if he was bribing people for money- it has to be really big money he was after. Supposedly he wanted power- but power for what?
K's guilty plea was sealed- probably in an attempt to keep Wilkes from knowing. But K's nephew, John T. Michaels pleaded not guilty along with Wilkes. Whoa! That is not gonna big one big happy Greek family.
Mrs P wrote on June 15, 2007 12:15 PM:Who else is looking out for Tommy K? Guy lives on Long Island's Gold Coast,is into NYC real estate in a big way, owns racing horses - Alphonse D'Amato, Charlie Gargano maybe?
oppositionradio wrote on June 15, 2007 12:54 PM:Laura at warandpiece.com has been on the Konto story for some time - check her archives for all her work on this murky guy.
SPENCER ADAMS wrote on June 15, 2007 4:08 PM:This is a potentially explosive story; Kontogiannis may be connected in many Bush Admin "situations;" I'm sure this isn't over.
daCascadian wrote on June 15, 2007 4:18 PM:There is some connection between this fellow & other actors that needs to be drawn into the light of public attention. Sounds almost like some spook related activity, possibly tied to other nation states
Needs some real digging into this does
[code = fact as in what we need]
"...there is an eroticism of money..." - Neue Zurcher Zeitung
SPENCER ADAMS wrote on June 15, 2007 4:20 PM:This is a potentially explosive story; Kontogiannis may be connected in many Bush Admin "situations;" I'm sure this isn't over.
psyberdawg wrote on June 15, 2007 11:28 PM:Kontogiannis smells like a CIA asset.
Dirty as hell, but wrapped in teflon.
Anonymous wrote on June 16, 2007 11:05 AM:This is interesting: "There is nothing in the plea agreement to indicate that Kontogiannis is actively cooperating with prosecutors to implicate others."
That's the same deal Cunningham got. He got a plea bargain but offered nothing on his end. Someone more powerful is getting a pass.
Thomas wrote on June 16, 2007 4:33 PM:Tommy's got himself a little fan club here. We should have a meeting and compare notes.
cjanqvb tvmpb wrote on August 9, 2007 1:16 PM:dhbrowpa casv vbucewta iojx kfgyd safb cevuq