Duke Cunningham | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 1992 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia | |
| In office January 3, 1991 – December 1, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Bates |
| Succeeded by | Brian Bilbray |
| Constituency | 44th district (1991–1993) 51st district (1993–2003) 50th district (2003–2005) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Randall Harold Cunningham (1941-12-08)December 8, 1941 Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Died | August 27, 2025(2025-08-27) (aged 83) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Navy |
| Service years | 1967–1987 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Conflict | Vietnam War |
| Awards | |
Cunningham on theHouse Intelligence Committee's work on FY2004 intelligence authorization legislation. Recorded June 25, 2003 | |
Randall Harold "Duke"Cunningham (December 8, 1941 – August 27, 2025) was an American politician,Vietnam War veteran andfighter ace. A member of theRepublican Party, Cunningham represented threeCalifornia districts in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2005, and later served prison time for accepting bribes fromdefense contractors.[1][2]
Prior to his political career, Cunningham was an officer and pilot in theUnited States Navy for 20 years. Following the Vietnam War, during which he became one of just two Navy aviators to be confirmed as aces, Cunningham became an instructor at the Navy'sFighter Weapons School (better known as TOPGUN) and commanding officer ofFighter Squadron 126 (VF-126), a shore-basedadversary squadron atNAS Miramar, California.[3]
In 1990, Cunningham ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating Democratic incumbentJim Bates. He served in the House from 1991 to 2005, as the representative forCalifornia's 44th,50th, and51stcongressional districts.[4][5] Cunningham resigned from the House on November 28, 2005, after pleading guilty to accepting at least $2.4 million in bribes andunder-reporting histaxable income for 2004.[5] He was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison and was ordered to pay $1.8 million inrestitution.[6] On June 4, 2013, Cunningham completed his prison sentence. He was granted aconditional pardon by PresidentDonald Trump in 2021.[7]
Cunningham was born inLos Angeles to Randall and Lela Cunningham on December 8, 1941, one day after theattack on Pearl Harbor. Around 1945, the family moved toFresno, where Cunningham's father purchased agas station. In 1953, they moved to ruralShelbina, Missouri, where his parents purchased and managed thefive-and-dime Cunningham Variety Store.[8][9]
Cunningham graduated from Shelbina High School in 1959. He attendedKirksville Teacher's College for one year, before transferring to theUniversity of Missouri inColumbia. Cunningham graduated with abachelor's degree inphysical education in 1964; he obtained hisMA ineducation the following year. He later earned anMBA fromNational University.
He was hired as a physical education teacher and swimming coach atHinsdale Central High School, where he stayed for one year. Two members of his swim team competed in the1968 Summer Olympics, where they earned a gold and a silver medal.[9]
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Cunningham joined theUnited States Navy in 1967.[9] During his service, Cunningham and hisNavigator/Radar Intercept Officer (RIO)William P. Driscoll became the only Navyaces in theVietnam War, flying anF-4 Phantom II from aboardaircraft carrierUSS Constellation (CV-64). He and Driscoll recorded five aerial victories againstNorth VietnameseMiG-21 andMiG-17 aircraft between January and May 1972, including three kills in one flight (earning them theNavy Cross).
In the final engagement, Cunningham downed a MiG-17, which was supposedly piloted by "Colonel Tomb", a mythicalNorth Vietnam Air Force fighter ace loosely based on a North Vietnamese pilot from the 921stFighterRegiment namedNguyễn Văn Cốc. It was later revealed by historians there was no such Colonel Toon and the story was fabricated by Cunningham himself. Văn Cốc retired from the Vietnamese People's Air Force in 2002.[10]
While returning to the carrier after the final shoot-down, Cunningham and Driscoll were forced to eject from their F-4 over water nearNam Định after the aircraft was fatally damaged by aSA-2 surface-to-air missile, but they were rescued by Navy helicopter.[citation needed]
After returning to the U.S. from Vietnam in 1972, Cunningham became an instructor at the U.S. Navy's Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) atNaval Air Station Miramar inSan Diego.[3] He was reportedly nearlycourt-martialed for allegedly breaking into his commanding officer's office to compare his records and fitness reports with those of his colleagues—a charge denied by Cunningham but supported by two of his superior officers at the time.[3][11] Cunningham served tours withVF-154,United States Seventh Fleet and asexecutive officer/commanding officer of the shore-based adversary squadronVF-126. In 1987, he was featured on thePBS broadcast of theNOVA special "Top Gun And Beyond", during which he recounted his engagement with the North Vietnamese fighter pilot thought to be the mythical "Colonel Toon".
Cunningham retired from the Navy with the final rank ofcommander in 1987, settling inDel Mar, a suburb of San Diego. He became nationally known as aCNN commentator on naval aircraft in the run-up to thePersian Gulf War.[12]
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Cunningham's visibility as a CNN commentator led severalRepublican leaders to approach him about running in what was then the44th district, one of fourcongressional districts inSan Diego. The district had been held for eight years byDemocratJim Bates, and was considered the most Democratic district in the San Diego area. However, Bates was bogged down in a scandal involving charges ofsexual harassment. Cunningham won the Republican nomination in 1990 and hammered Bates about the scandal, promising to be "a congressman we can be proud of." He won by just one percentage point, giving Republicans full representation of the San Diego area for only the second time since the city was split into two districts after the1960 census.[citation needed]
Cunningham's status as a Vietnam war hero made him a sought-after source, by colleagues and the media, in the debate on whether to use military force againstIraq in the lead up to the firstGulf War.[11]Guy Vander Jagt ofMichigan, longtime chairman of theNational Republican Congressional Committee, said that Cunningham had considerable "drawing power" and was treated as a celebrity by his fellow Republicans.[13]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 BIOGRAPHY | |
 A brief biography of Duke Cunningham |
After the1990 census, redistricting renumbered the 44th district as the51st and created the50th district, splitting off a significant portion ofSan Diego County. At the same time, the 51st added several areas of heavily RepublicanNorth San Diego County. The new district included the home ofBill Lowery, a fellow Republican who had represented most of the other side of San Diego for the past 12 years. They faced one another in the Republican primary. Despite Lowery's seniority, his involvement in theHouse banking scandal hurt him. As polls showed Cunningham with a substantial lead, Lowery dropped out of the primary race, effectively handing Cunningham the nomination. Cunningham then breezed to victory in November.[citation needed]
Even though the district (renumbered as the 50th after the2000 census) was not nearly as conservative as the other two Republican-held districts in the San Diego area, Cunningham was re-elected six times with no less than 55 percent of the vote.[citation needed]
Cunningham was a member of theAppropriations andIntelligence committees, and chaired theHouse Intelligence Subcommittee on Human Intelligence Analysis and Counterintelligence during the109th Congress. He was considered a leading Republican expert onnational security issues. He was also a champion of education, using his position on the Appropriations Education Subcommittee to steer federal dollars to schools in San Diego. After surgery forprostate cancer in 1998, he became a champion ofearly testing for the disease.[citation needed]
Cunningham was known for making controversial comments. For example:
Cunningham said that "I cut my own rudder" on issues,[11] He was often compared by liberalinterest groups to former congressmanBob Dornan; both were former military pilots, and both spoke out against perceived enemies. In 1992, Cunningham, along with Dornan and fellow San Diego RepublicanDuncan L. Hunter, challenged the patriotism of then-Democratic presidential candidateBill Clinton before a near-empty House chamber, but still viewed byC-SPAN viewers.[16]In September 1996, Cunningham criticized President Clinton for appointing judges who were "soft on crime". "We must get tough on drug dealers," he said, adding that "those who peddle destruction on our children must pay dearly".[17] He favored stiffdrug penalties[18] and voted for thedeath penalty for majordrug dealers.[19]
Four months later, his son Todd was arrested for helping to transport 400 pounds (180 kg) ofmarijuana fromTexas toIndiana. Todd Cunningham pleaded guilty to possession and conspiracy to sell marijuana.[20] At his son's sentencing hearing, Cunningham fought back tears as he begged the judge for leniency (Todd was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, in part because he tested positive forcocaine three times while onbail). After the sentencing, Cunningham was seen leaving the courthouse crying.[19] Cunningham'spress secretary responded to accusations ofdouble standards with: "The sentence Todd got had nothing to do with who Duke is. Duke has always been tough on drugs and remains tough on drugs."[18]
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Cunningham was the lead sponsor of theShark Finning Prohibition Act, which banned the practice ofshark finning in all U.S. waters, and pushed the United States to the lead on efforts to ban shark finning worldwide. For his efforts, Cunningham was named as a "Conservation Hero" by theAudubon Society and the Ocean Wildlife Campaign. Cunningham also unsuccessfully advocated for thedeath penalty for all those convicted ofshark finning.
Cunningham co-sponsored, along with DemocratJohn Murtha, the so-called "Flag Desecration Amendment", which would add the following sentence to theConstitution of the United States:
The Congress shall have power to prohibit thephysical desecration of theFlag of the United States.
The proposed amendment has passed the House many times, but narrowly missed the requisite 2/3 majority vote for passage in the Senate. Cunningham also advocated for thedeath penalty for all those convicted offlag desecration.
Cunningham was the driving force behind theLaw Enforcement Officers Safety Act which was passed and signed into law by PresidentGeorge W. Bush in July 2004. The law grants the authority to non-federallaw enforcement officers from any jurisdiction to carry afirearm anywhere within the jurisdiction of the United States.
Cunningham supported reinstitution of theSelective Servicedraft.
In June 2005, a story appeared inThe San Diego Union-Tribune byMarcus Stern and Jerry Kammer who later received aPulitzer Prize for their reporting. The story revealed that adefense contractor,Mitchell Wade, founder of the defense contracting firm MZM Inc. (since renamedAthena Innovative Solutions Inc. and later acquired byCACI), bought Cunningham's house in Del Mar in 2003 for $1,675,000. A month later, Wade placed it back on the market where it remained unsold for eight months until the price was reduced to $975,000. Cunningham was a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee at the time. Soon after the purchase, Wade's company began to receive tens of millions of dollars' worth of defense and intelligence contracts. Cunningham claimed the deal was legitimate, adding, "I feel very confident that I haven't done anything wrong."[21]
Later in June, it was further reported that Cunningham lived rent-free on ayacht named the "Duke Stir" while he was inWashington. The yacht was owned by Wade; Cunningham paid only for maintenance.[22] An article inThe San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Cunningham liked to invite women to his yacht. Two of them said that he would change into pajama bottoms and a turtleneck sweater to entertain them with chilledchampagne by the light of alava lamp.[23]
TheFederal Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation regarding the real estate transaction. Cunningham's home, MZM corporate offices, and Wade's home were all simultaneously raided by several federal agencies with warrants on July 1, 2005.[24]
On July 14, 2005, Cunningham announced he would not run for a ninth term in 2006, saying that while he believed he would be cleared of any wrongdoing, he could not defend himself and run for re-election at the same time. He admitted to displaying "poor judgment" when he sold his house to Wade.[25]
Besides Wade, the three other co-conspirators were:Brent R. Wilkes, founder of San Diego–based ADCS Inc.;New York businessman Thomas Kontogiannis; and John T. Michael, Kontogiannis' nephew and the owner of a New York–based mortgage company, Coastal Capital Corp. Property records show the company made $1.15 million in real estate loans to Cunningham, two of which were used in the purchase of hisRancho Santa Fe mansion. Court records show that Wade paid off one of those loans.[26]
In 1997, Cunningham had pushedthe Pentagon into buying a $20 million document-digitization system created by ADCS Inc., one of several defense companies owned by Wilkes. The Pentagon did not want to buy the system. When it had not done so three years later, Cunningham angrily demanded the firing of Lou Kratz, an assistant undersecretary of defense Cunningham held responsible for the delays.[13] It later emerged that Wilkes reportedly gave Cunningham more than $630,000 in cash and favors.[27]
Cunningham was also criticized for selling merchandise on his personal website,[28] such as a $595Buck knife featuring the official Congressional seal.[29][30] He failed to obtain permission to use the seal, which is afederal offense.[31]
On April 27, 2006, months after his guilty plea,The Wall Street Journal reported that, in addition to all the favors, gifts, and money Cunningham received from defense contractors who wanted his help in obtaining contracts, he may have been provided withprostitutes,narcotics, hotel rooms,limousines, and other amenities.[32]
Duke Cunningham | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Politician |
| Criminal status | Released (2013) Conditionally pardoned (2021) |
| Criminal charge | Tax evasion,mail fraud,wire fraud,conspiracy to commit bribery |
| Penalty | 100 months imprisonment |
On November 28, 2005, Cunningham pleaded guilty totax evasion,conspiracy to commitbribery,mail fraud, andwire fraud infederal court in San Diego. The investigation which led to the conviction of Cunningham was led by a team ofMarcus Stern, Jerry Kammer, and Dean Calbreath. Among the many bribes Cunningham admitted receiving was the sale of his home in Del Mar at an inflated price, the free use of the yacht "Duke Stir," a usedRolls-Royce,antique furniture,Persian rugs,jewelry, and a $2,000 contribution for his daughter's college graduation party.[33] Cunningham's attorney, Mark Holscher, later said that the government's evidence was so overwhelming that he had no choice but to recommend a guiltyplea.[34] With theplea bargain, Cunningham faced a maximum of 10 years; had he fought the charges, Cunningham riskedspending the rest of his life in prison.[citation needed]
As part of his guilty plea, Cunningham agreed to forfeit his $2.55 million home in Rancho Santa Fe, which he bought with the proceeds of the sale of the Del Mar house. Cunningham initially tried to sell the Rancho Santa Fe house, but federal prosecutors moved to block the sale after finding evidence it was purchased with Wade's money. Wade—assisted by others—paid off the balance Cunningham owed on the mortgage. Cunningham also forfeited more than $1.8 million in cash, antiques, rugs, and other items. Also as part of the plea agreement, Cunningham agreed to help the government in its prosecution of others involved in the defense contractor bribery scandal.[citation needed]
Cunningham announced that he would resign from the House at apress conference just after entering his plea. He read a prepared statement announcing that he was stepping down:
When I announced several months ago that I would not seek re-election, I publicly declared my innocence because I was not strong enough to face the truth. So, I misled my family, staff, friends, colleagues, the public—even myself. For all of this, I am deeply sorry. The truth is—I broke the law, concealed my conduct, and disgraced my high office. I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions, and most importantly, the trust of my friends and family... In my life, I have known great joy and great sorrow. And now I know great shame. I learned in Vietnam that the true measure of a man is how he responds to adversity. I cannot undo what I have done. But I can atone. I am now almost 65 years old and, as I enter the twilight of my life, I intend to use the remaining time that God grants me to make amends.[35]
Cunningham submitted his official resignation letter to theClerk of the House and to GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger on December 6, 2005.[36]
On March 3, 2006,U.S. District Court JudgeLarry A. Burns sentenced Cunningham to eight years and four months in prison.[6] Federal prosecutors pushed for the maximum sentence of ten years, but Cunningham's defense lawyers argued that at 64 years old and withprostate cancer, Cunningham would likely die in prison if he received the full sentence.[37][38] Burns cited his military service in Vietnam, age, and health as the reason the full ten years was not imposed. Prosecutors announced that they were satisfied with the sentence, which was the longest jail term ever given to a former Congressman.[39]
On the day of sentencing, Cunningham was 90 lb (41 kg) lighter than when allegations first surfaced 9 months earlier. After receiving his sentence, Cunningham made a request to see his 91-year-old mother one last time before going to prison. "I made a very wrong turn. I rationalized decisions I knew were wrong. I did that, sir," Cunningham said. The request was denied, and Burns remanded him immediately upon rendering the sentence.[40] Cunningham was incarcerated in theminimum security satellite camp at theU.S. Penitentiary at Tucson, Arizona,[41] with a scheduled release date of June 4, 2013.[42] He spent his time at the prison teaching fellow inmates to obtain theirGED,[43] as well as advocating for prison reform.[44]
Despite his guilty plea, Cunningham receivedpensions for his 21 years of U.S. Navy service and almost 15 years in Congress. However, prosecutors were successful in garnishing them forback taxes and penalties.[45] In June 2010, Cunningham submitted a handwritten three-page letter to Burns, complaining that theIRS was "killing" him by seizing all his remaining savings and his Congressional and Navy pensions, penalties he felt were not warranted under his plea agreement. Burns wrote back in August 2010, stating that the agency was collecting back taxes, interest, and penalties on the bribes Cunningham received in 2003 and 2004; thus, there was no action for Burns to take.[46]
In April 2011, Cunningham sent a ten-page typewritten document pleading his case toUSA Today, theLos Angeles Times,Talking Points Memo, andSan Diego CityBeat. He titled the document "The Untold Story of Duke Cunningham".[47] In the document, Cunningham wrote that because Burns had declared his case closed, he was now offering to speak to the media, which had "inundated" him with inquiries since 2004. According toCityBeat, in the statement, Cunningham claimed that he was "doped up on sedatives" and made his plea knowing that it was "90 to 95% untrue".[48][49]
Cunningham was released to ahalfway house inNew Orleans in February 2013.[45] On June 4, 2013, he was completely released from confinement.[50]
Cunningham told a federal judge that he planned to live inArkansas and that he would live on $1,700 a month.[51] In his letter, Cunningham pleaded for a gun permit, saying he longed to hunt in Arkansas. The judge denied the request as being beyond the scope of his authority, citing the law that limits gun permits for convicted criminals: a law that Cunningham voted for while in Congress.[52] Cunningham received a pardon from PresidentDonald Trump on January 13, 2021, conditioned on his payment of penalties of restitution and forfeiture totaling $3,655,539.50.[7][53][54]
Darrell Issa, a Republican who represented the neighboring49th district, said after Cunningham's plea that he had been waiting for Cunningham to explain his behavior "in a way that made sense to us" and that Cunningham's behavior "fell below the standard the public demands of its elected representatives".[55]
Francine Busby, Cunningham's Democratic challenger in 2004 and the Democratic candidate for the 50th district in the runoff election to fill Cunningham's vacancy, called November 28 "a sad day for the people" and called for support for her proposed ethics reform bill, the "Clean House Act", saying that "our government in Washington is broken."[56]
In an editorial on November 29,The Washington Post called the Cunningham affair "the most brazen bribery conspiracy in modern congressional history".[57] Later that day, PresidentGeorge W. Bush called Cunningham's actions "outrageous" at a press briefing inEl Paso, Texas. He also said that Cunningham should "pay a serious price" for his crimes.[34]House SpeakerDennis Hastert said in a December 6 statement that Cunningham was a "war hero"; but that he broke "the public trust he has built through his military and congressional career".[58]
On February 9, 2006, SenatorJohn Kerry introduced a bill, the "Federal Pension Forfeiture Act" (nicknamed the "Duke Cunningham Act"), to prevent lawmakers who have been convicted of official misconduct from collecting taxpayer-funded pensions.[59] The bill died in committee, by unanimous vote.
Cunningham married Susan Albrecht in 1965; they had met in college. They adopted a son together. His wife filed fordivorce and arestraining order in January 1973, based on her claims ofemotional abuse, and the divorce was granted eight months later.[71] Cunningham later said that his life hit "rock-bottom" in that year.[72]
In 1973, he met Dan McKinnon, a publisher and son of former CongressmanClinton D. McKinnon, who encouraged him to turn his life around.[72][73] Cunningham married his second wife, Nancy Jones, in 1974. They had two daughters and separated in July 2005.[74] He then married again, to Sharon Stone, in 2021.[75]
Cunningham, latterly a resident ofHensley, Arkansas, died on August 27, 2025, inLittle Rock, Arkansas, at the age of 83.[75][76][77]
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 44th congressional district 1991–1993 | Succeeded by |
| New constituency | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 51st congressional district 1993–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 50th congressional district 2003–2005 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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