For Immediate Release

DEFENSE CONTRACTOR BRENT R. WILKES SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT FOR BRIBING FORMER CONGRESSMAN RANDALL “DUKE” CUNNINGHAM

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY - February 19, 2008

United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt announced that today United States District Judge Larry A. Burns sentenced former defense contractor Brent R. Wilkes to 12 years’ imprisonment and to serve three years of supervised release following his release from custody. On November 5, 2007, a jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts against defense contractor Brent Roger Wilkes, who was accused of bribing former Congressman Randall “Duke” Cunningham. Wilkes was found guilty of conspiracy, bribery, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering. Wilkes was ordered to pay $636,116 in forfeiture, and $501,300 in fines and special assessments. The Court ordered Wilkes remanded immediately into custody to begin serving his sentence.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sanjay Bhandari, Valerie H. Chu, Jason A. Forge and Phillip L.B. Halpern, who prosecuted the case, Wilkes provided more than $700,000 in bribes to Cunningham over nearly a decade. In return, Cunningham corruptly directed more than $80 million in defense contract funds to Wilkes’s company, ADCS, Inc., located in Poway, California. Wilkes’s illicit profits reached tens of millions of dollars.

United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt stated, “The citizens of San Diego and, indeed, the nation at large, are well served by the sentence imposed today. It reflects the egregiousness of the corrupt conduct in which Brent Wilkes engaged and marks one more step in the restoration of the public’s confidence in the integrity of our system of government and those who participate in it. Brent Wilkes has earned every day of the sentence he received.”

United States Attorney Hewitt commended the outstanding work of the agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, who investigated this case.

FBI Special Agent in Charge, Keith Slotter commented, “Public corruption at any level denies the American public of the honest services the public expects and deserves from our representatives. Today's sentencing serves notice that the FBI will continue to root out corruption at all levels to protect the freedoms and services the public deserves.”

“Today's sentencing sends a clear message to the American public that those individuals who attempt to buy our elected officials for their own personal financial gain will be fully prosecuted,” said Debra D. King, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation will aggressively follow the money trail and do our part to combat public corruption.”

“The American taxpayer expects the Department of Defense (DoD) to manage a procurement system that is free of bribery and corruption. The corrupt behavior of our public officials and DoD contractors misappropriates precious dollars in products and services destined for our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. This investigation demonstrates the most egregious case of bribery and corruption between a sitting U.S. Congressman and a DoD contractor that I have ever witnessed in my career,” said Rick Gwin, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Western Field Office.

DEFENDANT Case Number: 07cr0330LAB
Brent Roger Wilkes Age: 53 Poway, California

SUMMARY OF GUILTY VERDICTS AND MAXIMUM PENALTIES:

COUNT 1 Conspiracy to commit Bribery, Honest Services Fraud, and Money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, which is punishable by 5 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.

COUNTS 2-11 Honest Services Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and 1346, which is punishable by 20 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.

COUNT 13 Bribery of a Public Official in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, which is punishable by 15 years in prison and/or the greater of a $250,000 fine or three times the monetary equivalent of the bribe.

COUNT 14 Money Laundering (“concealment”) in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(a)(1)(A)(I), which is punishable by 20 years in prison and/or the greater of a $500,000 fine or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction.

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division
Defense Criminal Investigative Service