Lawyers - Cunningham is “Penniless”: Kerry on Cunningham’s $40,000 Pension

[kerrygoddess]

Lawyers Claim Cunningham is “Penniless”: John Kerry on Duke Cunningham’s $40,000-a-Year Prison Sentence Perk
March 3rd, 2006 @ 1:56 pm

Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham was due in court today for his sentencing on the fraud charges he pled quilty to on November 28, 2005.

Cunningham’s attorneys asked for six years for the former Navy “Top Gun” flight instructor and Vietnam War flying ace.

“His own misconduct has already left him penniless, homeless, estranged from those he loves and disgraced in the eyes of his countrymen,” they wrote.

Penniless? Not quite, as John Kerry points out — under current law, Cunningham is still entitled to a $40,000 a year pension. Kerry has proposed legislation to change that law. Below is a statement, as received by The Democratic Daily, from John Kerry on former Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham’s sentencing today. Kerry has authored two ethics reform measures in the Senate, one of which would take away Cunningham’s Congressional pension:

“Even after Duke Cunningham’s prison sentencing today, he’ll still be getting a perk most Americans only dream of – a $40,000 a year pension, courtesy of taxpayers. It is wrong that hardworking taxpayers are funding the retirement of convicted criminals. We need to pass legislation to rewrite these rules that fly in the face of common sense. The question is whether this Congress will right this wrong, or whether we’ll have to wait for change in November.”

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=2126

[CottonBear]

1. Most Americans much less most people in the world don't make that much.

:(

[wakeme2008]

2. LOL

"we’ll have to wait for change in November.”

Plus health care I would bet.

[MadMaddie]

3. Hunh....Ken Lay says the same thing...

well they can cry in their prison milk.....:nopity:

If they are convicted of a crime they should lose their pension which is paid by the taxpayers!!

[European Socialist]

4. He probably has another million in the Cayman Islands. Fry him.

[realFedUp]

5. check his wife's purse....nt

[shain from kane]

6. So he collects $40,000.00 per year for 6 years, while he's

in prison, without paying one cent for food, lodging, healthcare, etc. Each year another $40,000.00 gets added to the pile, so that at the end of 6 years he has assets of $240,000.00 plus, and still has the $40,000.00 annual pension for the rest of his life.
I guess that they are saying that the estrangement from those he loves has affected him, but he will make new friends in prison, who knows, maybe a lover or two?
So, he is Not penniless -- check
He is Not homeless -- check
He is Not estranged from those he will soon learn to love -- check
He is disgraced in the eyes of his countrymen. Sorry, couldn't do anything about that one.

[skids]

12. minus 1.8 million.

He also got a hefty financial fee.

Not that he should get the pension, but he's pretty much bankrupt.

[Blue_In_AK]

7. I'm whispering this...

My good Democratic daughter is on the Duke's defense team. She made considerable contributions to his sentencing memo and is sitting at the defense table at this moment, assuming that the hearing isn't over yet. The quote in the original post sounds like it could have come right out of her mouth. This assignment has been really troubling to her, but I told her that even the lowest criminal deserves good representation, and he's lucky to have her. I hope people here will not be too harsh on Cunningham's defense team - they're only doing their job.

[shain from kane]

8. She should ask for a raise, say, a lifetime annuity of

$40,000.00 per year.

[Blue_In_AK]

9. I like it. :-)

She did manage to get herself excused from the pedophile priests -- that was just TOO much for her to deal with -- but all good lawyers have to take cases they don't like now and then, and on a personal level I think she feels kind of sorry for old Duke, even recognizing that he brought it all on himself, but more especially his family.

[rinsd]

10. I'm thinking of going to his estate sale...

Handmade ivory wastepaper basket - $1

Pearl pens set - $1

Looking for conversation pieces while gleefully picking over the bones of a completely disgraced Republican - priceless.

[NastyRiffraff]

20. Hey, don't forget the commode!

I'd even part with $2 for that one

[texpatriot2004]

11. Thank you John Kerry, you are so right about this nm

[DoYouEverWonder]

24. One more reason why the Repugs

were so desperate to make sure he didn't win the WH. A lot more of them would be on their way to prison without their pensions if he did.

[Hubert Flottz]

13. Sympathy can always be found...

in the dictionary between shit and syphilis.

They can't pay for school lunches for thousands of American kids, but they can pay that common thief 40,000 a year? America is "Broke" for a reason...Tax and Spend Republicans!

[Dr Fate]

14. Kerry is getting him back for supporting that Swift boat crap- GOOD.

I would like to think that JFK is serving up some cold dishes for others as well.

[karynnj]

21. Kerry's always been anti - corruption

so I think that he really was appalled by what Cunningham did. Although, Kerry wouldn't be human if he didn't somewhat enjoy seeing this man who slandered him being exposed for the slease he is and going to prison.

[fujiyama]

23. HAHA

That's what I was thinking. I can't help but think, this is a nice way to get back at him. This must be sooo sweet for Kerry. Hey, I can't blame him though.

I remember Cunningham swiftboating him during the election. He was a real ass hole.

[Doctor_J]

15. The poor man's had to live on $156,000/yr plus bribes

for the last several years. You'd be broke too.

[Joanne98]

16. Why can't he sell his mansion? (for more than it's worth)

[blm]

17. Kerry's learned what all Dems need to learn - KICK THEM EVEN WHEN THEY'RE

DOWN.

Because giving them a break just allows them to get stronger.

Bill Clinton handed out breaks to BushInc left and right - no more IranContra or BCCI investigations - and all he got was impeached and all we got was a coordinated wave of fascism in return.

[TayTay]

19. Amen to that!

This man swindled the American people and sold out his Oath to uphold the Constitution for money. I have no sympathy for him at all. He lied to his constituents and broke his oath. He can rot for all I care.

[cascadiance]

18. Isn't Ken Lay saying basically the same thing? Seems like a common meme!

I wonder how soon Tom Delay and Jack'moff will say the same thing once they're close to sentencing...

[Garbo 2004]

22. Not to worry, taxpayers will foot the bill for his keep for the next few

years still. He's a convicted criminal. "Misconduct?" It's called "crime."

[Hubert Flottz]

25. “Penniless”:

He's still better off than John Dillinger, who was mowed down for stealing a hell of a lot less money than this scum stole! How many GIs died, because of this guy's under the table shady deals with military contractors? How is stealing the taxpayers blind supporting the troops? Every GOPer in congress that took money from these people should go to jail too.

[kerrygoddess]

26. I could not agree more! N/T

[spindrifter]

27. He will also collect a Navy pension, so

according to the National Taxpayers Union, he gets $36,000 for 15 years in the House and his 21 years in the Navy adds another$26400. (The figures are from an LA Times article that was reprinted in The Seattle Times, March 4.)

[Digit]

28. Won't he and his family also get health insurance for life?

Just checking.

[Kingshakabobo]

29. Cue up the "Baretta" theme song......

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time........