[JURIST] US District Judge Larry Burns sentenced former US defense contractor Brent Wilkes [SourceWatch profile; JURIST news archive] to 12 years in federal prison Tuesday for bribing now-former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham [official profile] in exchange for almost $90 million in Pentagon work. Wilkes was convicted [JURIST report] in November 2007 of 13 felonies, including money laundering, fraud, and conspiracy. AP has more. The San Diego Union-Tribune has local coverage.

Wilkes pleaded not guilty to all charges, but was convicted of paying more than $600,000 in bribes, including vacations and prostitutes, to Cunningham in exchange for millions of dollars worth of US military contracts. Wilkes has been under investigation since Cunningham pleaded guilty in 2005 [JURIST report] to taking $2.4 million in bribes in return for federal contracts. Cunningham is currently serving eight years and four months in federal prison.