Duke Cunningham

Duke Cunningham: My 'Untold Story'

Ryan J. Reilly | April 7, 2011, 11:45AM

In a rambling letter from his prison cell sent to TPM and other media outlets, former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA) writes that he never told the feds that he had sex with a prostitute "and the DOJ bastards know it," that IRS agents and media reporters "remind me of ravening wolves," and that he never should have agreed to a plea deal that put him behind bars.

The former California Republican is serving eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion, conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud in 2005. Now he's claiming that there were no "bribes," and that the only checks he received were reimbursements.

I wrote to Cunningham a few months ago to ask him what he thought of Attorney General Eric Holder's push for prisoner re-entry reform and to get an update on how he's been spending his time behind bars.

What I got back on Wednesday was a packet from Cunningham that featured a personalized response and a copy of "The Untold Story of Duke Cunningham" -- a nine-page, typed, single-spaced monograph dated March 2011 apparently written by Cunningham himself. The monograph was attached to a copy of a March 17 letter to the federal judge who handled his case. That letter was also copied to numerous media outlets.

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Topics: Duke Cunningham, Eric Holder, Justice Department, Prison Reform

Duke Cunningham

After Four Years Behind Bars, Duke Becomes A Prison Reform Advocate

Rachel Slajda | August 11, 2010, 3:52PM

Duke Cunningham, former congressman and current convict (and the inspiration for the Golden Dukes), is halfway through his eight year prison sentence. And he wants to make a change.

"Maybe that's why God put me here, to bring about much needed prison reform," Cunningham wrote in a letter to San Diego City Beat.

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Topics: Duke Cunningham, Prison Reform