[JURIST] Former California Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham [Wikipedia backgrounder] has been sentenced to eight years and four months in prison for corruption. Cunningham pleaded guilty [JURIST report; plea agreement, PDF] last November to charges [criminal information, PDF] of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion and promptly resigned from office. He admitted to taking $2.4 million in bribes in a case that stemmed from an investigation into the sale of his home and became a wide-ranging probe uncovering payments in cash, yacht-club fees and antiques. His sentence is the longest prison term ever given to a congressman.

Mitchell Wade, a defense contractor involved in the scheme pleaded guilty [agreement, PDF; JURIST report] last week to conspiring to funnel more than $1 million in bribes [criminal information; PDF] to Cunningham. The San Diego Union-Tribune has more.