Randy Cunningham

Randy "Duke" Cunningham January 2005

Lt. Cunningham (1972)

Randall Harold Cunningham (born December 8, 1941 in Los Angeles ) is a retired American soldier, Republican MP in the US House of Representatives and CNN reporter.

Life

In 1956 he graduated from high school. From 1959 to 1960 he studied at Kirksville Teacher's College, then at the University of Missouri at Columbia, where he received his bachelor's degree in education in 1964 . A year later he received a Master of Arts degree in Education. He then became a physical education teacher and coach for the swim team at Hinsdale Central High School in Hinsdale (Illinois) . 1967-1987 he served in the United States Navy, initially as a fighter pilot. He took part in the Vietnam War. His last rank was Commander (frigate captain). His awards include the Navy Cross , the Silver Star (2 ×) and the Purple Heart . He qualified as a flying ace because of his kills in Vietnam. From 1991 to 2005 he was a member of the 50th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives (Republican).

During his tenure, he brought the successful Shark Finning Prohibition Bill into the US Congress, which banned the cutting of shark fins , the so-called shark finning , in all US waters. Cunningham was also a driving force behind the proposal for the Flag Desecration Amendment .

On November 28, 2005, Cunningham confessed to tax evasion and bribery , among other things, and resigned from office. Cunningham was involved in fraudulent activities between the Department of Defense and a number of delivery companies and reportedly received $ 2.4 million in bribes. He admitted to having brokered armaments deals with friends and election donors.

On March 3, 2006, he was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison and a $ 1.8 million fine for corruption . The public prosecutor had previously requested the maximum sentence of ten years. The sentence imposed by the court is one of the highest ever imposed on a Congressman.

Web links

Commons : Randy Cunningham - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

personal data
SURNAME	Cunningham, Randy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Cunningham, Randall Harold; Cunningham, Duke
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	December 8, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH	Los Angeles , California