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ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former CIA agent rose to the agency's No. 3 rank despite a record of misconduct that stretched over 20 years, prosecutors said, until his career came to an end with his conviction in a bribery scheme. In court papers, prosecutors describe how Kyle "Dusty" Foggo was investigated in the late 1980s for punching a bicyclist in a traffic dispute and for numerous relationships with foreign women that could have compromised security. ... Instead, Foggo is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria after pleading guilty to a single count of fraud as...

With a backlog of applications piled up at the Justice Department, high-profile criminals and their well-connected lawyers increasingly are appealing directly to President Bush for special consideration on pardons and clemency, according to people involved in the process. Among those seeking presidential action are former junk-bond salesman Michael Milken, who hired former solicitor general Theodore B. Olson, one of the nation's most prominent GOP lawyers, to plead his case for a pardon on 1980s-era securities fraud charges. Two politicians convicted of public corruption, former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) and four-term Louisiana governor Edwin W. Edwards (D), are asking Bush...

A federal prosecutor in the Randy “Duke” Cunningham case calls it a coincidence that the daughter of a key witness in the scandal purchased a home from the prosecutor's late uncle. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Halpern, one of four prosecutors in the case, had not seen his father's brother, Leonard Halpern, for about four years prior to the uncle's death in 2003. Further, he was not an heir to his uncle's estate and received no money from the sale of the Nassau County, N.Y, property in 2005. The details are contained in court papers filed Wednesday by prosecutors asking a...

WASHINGTON – In two days of prison interviews with federal agents this year, former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham described a level of corruption on his part more extensive than previously known and dealt a potentially devastating blow to the defense being waged by one of the contractors alleged to have bribed him.

NORTH COUNTY ---- What may be his last contract with the federal government has run out. Most of his employees have quit or been laid off. He owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in back property taxes on his company's multimilllion-dollar Poway headquarters, a 97,000-square-foot building he is negotiating to sell. And in the latest blow to defense contractor Brent Wilkes ---- one of the men identified as an alleged co-conspirator of Randy "Duke" Cunningham in the bribery scandal that put the former congressman in prison ---- the Poway resident is being sued by two companies accusing him of breach...

WASHINGTON The investigation stemming from the bribery conviction of former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., will continue well past the November midterm elections under a federal court schedule set Monday. The development came at a status hearing for defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who is cooperating with federal prosecutors after pleading guilty in February to bribing Cunningham in exchange for government contracts. U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina agreed to delay sentencing proceedings against Wade and set the next status hearing in his case for March 12. That will allow Wade's cooperation to continue in the investigation, which still has several unresolved...

The wife of disgraced former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham felt deceived about the extent of her now-estranged husband's corruption, she said in her first public interview since the scandal broke last year. Nancy Cunningham told The New Republic magazine that she didn't question junkets paid by defense contractors because other senior congressional figures, including Speaker Dennis Hastert, joined in. "How can it be illegal or unethical if the most important man in Congress is doing it?" she asked interviewer Kitty Kelley, the celebrity biographer. Duke Cunningham, who held seats on powerful House intelligence and appropriations committees, resigned from Congress last...

andy "Duke" Cunningham stumbled to the microphone. Heavily medicated, the former congressman from San Diego had to be propped up by federal marshals. He had lost 90 pounds since he pleaded guilty, and his rumpled suit hung on him like a deflated parachute silk. The fearless aviator and war hero who claimed to be the inspiration for the cocky ace played by Tom Cruise in Top Gun had vanished. Standing in his stead on March 3, 2006, was an aging criminal whose droopy hound-dog face crumbled as he admitted taking $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors. "I did it...

WASHINGTON – Eight months after former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham confessed to taking massive bribes in exchange for providing at least $230 million in questionable defense and intelligence contracts, the Defense Department inspector general still has not determined whether any of those projects were improper. This week, the Pentagon announced that it would not renew one contract related to the scandal. But officials have been tight-lipped about the status of other taxpayer-funded work that may have been tainted, including a secret counterintelligence program. In fact, although several other Defense Department public affairs personnel and a congressional press aide have said...

WASHINGTON - An independent investigation has found that imprisoned former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham took advantage of secrecy and badgered congressional aides to help slip items into classified bills that would benefit him and his associates. The finding comes from Michael Stern, an outside investigator hired by the House Intelligence Committee to look into how Cunningham was able to carry out the scheme. Stern is working with the committee to fix vulnerabilities in the way top-secret legislation is written, said congressional officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the committee still is being briefed on Stern's findings. Cunningham's case...

SAN DIEGO – The prosecutors who sent former U.S. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to jail for taking bribes now are focusing their attention on his friend Brent Wilkes, a San Diego defense contractor who won nearly $100 million in contracts in the past decade. Wilkes also has links to other corruption investigations. Cunningham was sentenced in March to more than eight years in prison after pleading guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes – including payments for a 7,628-square-foot mansion, a Rolls-Royce and a 65-foot yacht – in return for funneling contracts to certain companies. Wilkes' lawyers have confirmed he...

A former Republican congressman narrowly beat his Democratic rival early Wednesday for the right to fill the House seat once held by imprisoned Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a race closely watched as a possible early barometer of next fall's vote. Republican Brian Bilbray emerged victorious after a costly and contentious race against Democrat Francine Busby, a local school board member who ran against Cunningham in 2004. With 90 percent of precincts reporting, Bilbray had 56,016 votes or 49.5 percent. Busby trailed with 51,202 votes or 45 percent. "I think that we're going back to Washington," Bilbray told a cheering crowd of...

   You Have To Wonder June 1, 2006 In 1994 current Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert signed the Contract With America...by 2007, he destroyed it. You have to wonder what kind of a person wins the trust of the American electorate by signing a Contract “to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives” and then heads in the opposite direction. Pledging “To restore accountability to Congress. To end its cycle of scandal and disgrace. To make us all proud again of the way free people govern themselves” Hastert promised to “FIRST, require all laws that apply...

I’ll be brief this time about Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans. Due to stupidity and incompetence, he did not carry out the evacuation plan for his city. As a result, more than a thousand of his constituents died, and tens of thousands suffered personal disaster, and had to be rescued by the Coast Guard and the National Guard. There was an established evacuation plan for Southern Louisiana, dated 1 January, 2004. Local and national media were incompetent in not reporting this plan and its details. The salient point was that the mandatory evacuation had to be called early, to...

Today: May 13, 2006 at 11:45:55 PDT Rep. Cunningham's Plea Was Only the Start By SETH HETTENA ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN DIEGO (AP) - The political scandal that brought down former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham didn't end when the Vietnam War hero began serving an eight-year sentence in federal prison for taking millions of dollars in bribes. Since Cunningham, R-San Diego, was sentenced in March, the case has turned into a sprawling federal investigation with all the soap opera elements - money, power and sex. One of Washington, D.C.'s most notorious landmarks - the Watergate Hotel - even has a...

Exclusive: Top CIA Official Under Investigation No. 3 Official at CIA Is Subject of Investigation Related to Bribery Probe By BRIAN ROSS, RICHARD ESPOSITO and RHONDA SCHWARTZ March 3, 2006 — - A stunning investigation of bribery and corruption in Congress has spread to the CIA, ABC News has learned. The CIA inspector general has opened an investigation into the spy agency's executive director, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, and his connections to two defense contractors accused of bribing a member of Congress and Pentagon officials. The CIA released an official statement on the matter to ABC News, saying: "It is standard...

Federal authorities are investigating allegations that a California defense contractor arranged for a Washington area limousine company to provide prostitutes to convicted former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) and possibly other lawmakers, sources familiar with the probe said yesterday. In recent weeks, investigators have focused on possible dealings between Christopher D. Baker, president of Shirlington Limousine and Transportation Inc., and Brent R. Wilkes, a San Diego businessman who is under investigation for bribing Cunningham in return for millions of dollars in federal contracts, said one source, who requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. Baker has a criminal record and...

Is this going to be a bombshell or just another MSM witch hunt? "Federal prosecutors are reviewing records of two Washington, D.C., hotels where Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes rented suites as part of their investigation into whether prostitutes were involved as he tried to curry favor with lawmakers and CIA officials." Wilkes, whom federal prosecutors have identified as a co-conspirator in the bribery case of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, rented hospitality suites in the capital on behalf of his flagship company, ADCS Inc. Federal investigators are trying to determine whether Cunningham and other legislators brought prostitutes to the...

The U.S. senator says he expects such a fallout from the lobbying scandal. WAGONER -- U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn said Friday that he expects six congressmen and a fellow senator to go to jail on corruption charges in the wake of investigations involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff and others. The Oklahoma Republican declined to name any of the seven, but said, "if you've been keeping up with things, you've got a pretty good idea." Coburn's remarks came during a town hall meeting at the Wagoner Civic Center attended by about 30 people, and were made in relation to his attempts to...

Within hours of her first-place finish in the conservative 50th Congressional District's special election Tuesday, Democrat Francine Busby got an early-morning call from Sen. Dianne Feinstein. "She wanted to know what she could do to help," said Busby, who now faces a June 6 runoff, most likely against former California Rep. Brian Bilbray, who most recently worked as a lobbyist in Washington. Although Bilbray led fellow Republican Eric Roach by about 900 votes with all precincts reporting from election day, San Diego County election officials still have to count about 10,000 late, absentee and provisional ballots. Updated results aren't expected...

The Republican Party's choice to replace jailed former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham remained up in the air Wednesday, with the two leading candidates separated by less than 900 votes and neither side claiming outright victory. With 100 percent of the precincts counted, lobbyist and former GOP Rep. Brian Bilbray had 19,366 votes or 15 percent of the vote in California's 50th District. Eric Roach, a venture capitalist who poured at least $1.8 million of his own money into the race, trailed with 18,486 votes or 14 percent. County officials said 10,000 last-minute absentee and provisional ballots were being tallied, with...

Last night Democratic candidate Francine Busby failed to reach the 50% + 1 mark in her quest to take the seat formerly held by Republican Duke Cunningham. She finished in the low- to mid-40's.Judging by the early reports on the election, the media is going to spin this as a good development for the Democrats in their quest to take the House. I could not disagree more.The election will go to a June runoff, but this seems to me to have been the Democrats' only real chance at this seat. GOP candidates pulled in a majority of the vote...

It won't be official until June, but Democrat Francine Busby--championed by MoveOn.org, Daily Kos, et al.--appears headed for defeat in her bid for California's 50th Congressional District, left vacant by the resignation of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Although Busby finished first in yesterday's special election, she failed to break 50%, which means she will face a runoff against the second-place finisher. If current results hold, that will be former congressman Brian Bilbray, who has 15.15% of the vote. Busby won 43.92% of the vote as of the latest tally, but she was one of only two Democrats on the ballot...

Republican former Rep. Brian Bilbray (Calif.) will face Democrat Francine Busby in a June 6 runoff to replace convicted former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R) in California's 50th District, according to unofficial results.Bilbray, one of 14 Republicans in yesterday's primary field, narrowly edged political newcomer Eric Roach, a wealthy investor who spent $1.8 million on his special-election campaign.Busby, a school board member who lost to Cunningham in 2004, won 44 percent of the vote in this predominantly Republican district, but it will be a steep challenge for her to overcome a distinct disadvantage among registered Democrats to win the runoff.Busby...

Busby outpaces GOP pack, falls short of outright win Republican Bilbray appears headed for June 6 runoff election By John Marelius UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER Democrat Francine Busby speaks at her Election Night party at the D Street Bar and Grill in Encinitas. SAN DIEGO – Democrat Francine Busby easily led the field of 18 candidates seeking to replace disgraced former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham Tuesday and will face a June 6 runoff, apparently with Republican Brian Bilbray. Bilbray, a former San Diego congressman, clung to a slim lead over businessman Eric Roach with most of the ballots tabulated. The returns...

SAN DIEGO - Eighteen candidates in a solidly GOP district on the Southern California coast competed in a special election Tuesday for the congressional seat once held by Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now in prison for bribery. Brian Bilbray, a former congressman-turned-lobbyist who was the choice of the GOP establishment; Republican businessman Eric Roach, who spent $1.8 million of his own money; and Democrat Francine Busby were considered the front-runners. Cunningham represented the House district from 1993 until he resigned in disgrace late last year. In March, the former Vietnam War fighter ace was sentenced to more than eight years in...

E-mail article April 11 could be do-or-die for Francine Busby. The Democratic congressional candidate appears to have a slim chance to win a majority in next week's special election to replace former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham. But she would be a heavy underdog in a runoff as GOP voters unite around a single candidate. Democrats now are looking to the special election as a potential bellwether. If Busby pulls off an upset next week, it may be a harbinger of a rough political season for congressional Republicans. The race in San Diego's 50th District has been watched closely because of...

Following the scandal-driven departure of Randy "Duke" Cunningham from his U.S. House seat, the liberal activist group MoveOn.org Political Action is taking up the cause of a Democrat trying to capture Cunningham's former seat in the heavily Republican 50th district of California. "We can ... hand Republicans their first defeat of 2006," MoveOn.org leaders stated in an e-mail to members this week. A special election is scheduled for April 11 and a run-off will follow on June 6 if none of the candidates manages a majority on April 11. Busby is one of two Democrats seeking the seat. There are...

SAN MARCOS ----- There's been a deluge of TV advertising, extensive newspaper and TV coverage and one candidate forum after the other. And yet, one can only wonder how many voters have had the time or energy to educate themselves on the qualifications, political beliefs and personalities of all of the 18 candidates in the running for the 50th District Congressional seat formerly held by disgraced Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham. With less than three weeks until the April 11 special election to pick a temporary replacement for Cunningham, the latest opportunity for voters to get to know the candidates came...

In their battle to replace former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, Republicans are embracing their party's ideals while distancing themselves from its record in Washington. As deficits balloon and scandals multiply under a Republican-controlled Congress, these candidates are touting independence over party loyalty and lashing out at the GOP as often as they criticize Democrats. Setting the tone is millionaire businessman Eric Roach, whose television commercials ask, “When did Congress begin losing touch?” “I think it began when Republicans quit being Republicans,” Roach answers in the ad. “You know, they were sent to Congress to bring the budget in balance, to...

SAN DIEGO — Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who collected $2.4 million in homes, yachts, antique furnishings and other bribes on a scale unparalleled in the history of Congress, was sentenced Friday to eight years and four months in prison, the longest term meted out to a congressman in decades. Cunningham, who resigned from Congress in disgrace last year, was spared the 10-year maximum by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns but was immediately taken into custody. He also was ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution for back taxes and forfeit $1.85 million in valuables he received.

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Prosecutors hoped to secure the longest prison term ever for a congressman Friday at the sentencing of former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who pleaded guilty to taking bribes on a scale unparalleled in the history of Congress. Cunningham, a Republican who resigned last year in disgrace, accepted $2.4 million from defense contractors and others in exchange for steering government contracts their way. Federal prosecutors asked for the maximum - 10 years behind bars. The longest term ever meted out to a congressman was the eight years former Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio, received in 2002 for taking...

SAN DIEGO -- Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who collected $2.4 million in homes, yachts, antique furnishings and other bribes on a scale unparalleled in the history of Congress, was sentenced Friday to eight years and four months in prison, the longest term ever meted out to a congressman.

Just announced: Duke Cunningham was sentenced to 8 years, 4 months in prison, and ordered to make over $1 million in restitution.

SAN DIEGO -- A defense attorney argued Friday that former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who was convicted of corruption on a scale unparalleled in the history of Congress, should be spared the maximum 10-year prison term sought by the prosecution. Cunningham, who resigned last year in disgrace after pleading guilty, was to be sentenced for accepting $2.4 million from defense contractors and others in exchange for steering government contracts their way. His bribes included a Rolls-Royce, a yacht, homes, travel, meals, Persian rugs valued at $40,000 each and various antique furnishings. "We submit that a six-year prison term cannot be...

SAN DIEGO – Former U.S. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham arrived in San Diego's federal courthouse Friday morning for sentencing on bribery charges, flanked by his lawyers and surrounded by a crowd of news crews. He looked gaunt and shaky as he entered a courtroom filled to capacity, with the news media taking seats in the jury box as well as some of those in the audience. Inside, he was greeted and hugged by well-wishers, including Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine. When Father Joe Carroll arrived, he and Cunningham hugged and clasped hands in greeting. Carroll, who runs a local shelter for...

Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who was convicted of corruption on a scale unparalleled in the history of Congress, is asking a federal judge to spare him the maximum sentence. Cunningham, who resigned last year in disgrace after pleading guilty, was to be sentenced Friday for accepting $2.4 million from defense contractors and others in exchange for steering government contracts their way. His bribes included a Rolls-Royce, a yacht, homes, travel, meals, Persian rugs valued at $40,000 each and various antique furnishings. The staggering details of Cunningham's wrongdoing surpass anything in the history of Congress, official Senate and House historians...

Disgraced former congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham brazenly breached ethics and the law in his latter years in the U.S. House of Representatives, but he still has defenders who say he also was a force for good. In sometimes poignant and heart-rending accounts, more than 40 people wrote letters of support for Cunningham, who is scheduled to be sentenced March 3 after pleading guilty to bribery, tax evasion and other charges. The authors include family members, clergy, former political colleagues and military veterans who served with Cunningham during his 20-year career as a highly decorated Navy fighter pilot. A surprising contributor...

Randy "Duke" Cunningham has recurring prostate cancer and will likely die in prison if sentenced to the 10 years behind bars prosecutors are seeking, his defense lawyers said in court papers filed late Friday. The documents also reveal that Cunningham and his wife, Nancy, are estranged and that the former 50th District congressman, who pleaded guilty to bribery and tax evasion in November, now lives on a ranch performing manual labor in exchange for room and board. The U.S. attorney's office in San Diego is arguing that the four years Cunningham accepted bribes and cheated on his taxes ---- as...

Fresh details of the crimes of Randy “Duke” Cunningham make clear why he has never cited the corrupting culture of Washington as an excuse for his behavior. Cunningham, we now know, took to corruption with an enthusiasm and single-mindedness that are rare even by Washington standards. His conduct over six years, as spelled out Friday by federal prosecutors seeking a maximum 10-year prison sentence, was unflinchingly mercenary, especially as it pertained to his love of extravagant living and expensive toys. Once, he demanded the use of a private jet to take him yacht shopping, with no intention of paying for...

Republican Congressional candidate and millionaire Eric Roach on Friday notified the Federal Election Commission and competing candidates in the 50th District race that he has surpassed the self-funding limit that triggers the so-called "Millionaire's Amendment." That little-known rule allows competing candidates, in some cases, to triple the limit on individual campaign donations. In Roach's notification, he reports that as of Thursday, he had spent $750,000 on the April 11 special election where voters will pick a replacement for former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who resigned from office in November after pleading guilty in federal court to receiving more than...

SAN DIEGO -- Prosecutors have recommended that disgraced former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham receive a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for his "stunning betrayal of the public trust," according to a sentencing memorandum filed Friday. "Cunningham used his status as a war hero to get into Congress, and then he used his Congressional office to get rich," prosecutors wrote in the 35-page memorandum. "For the better part of a decade, Cunningham, in effect, erected a 'for sale' sign upon our nation's capital." Cunningham, 64, resigned from Congress last year after pleading guilty to accepting $2.4 million in bribes...

Hearts of darkness By: RICK REISS - For The Californian Avid readers of the classics know the works of Joseph Conrad. In 1898 Conrad penned the novella "Heart of Darkness" and coined the phrase "going native." This phrase has not lost any of its relevance in the 21st century. The disgraced and convicted former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham now stands as a modern-day icon of the dark-hearted politician who betrays his people. As a former constituent of Cunningham's, I feel betrayed by a man who swore to represent me but chose instead to serve himself. As a Navy veteran I...

NORTH COUNTY ---- For the last few months, Republican political consultants, campaign managers and others have been predicting the 50th Congressional District race to replace former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham would turn into a mudslinging free-for-all. In the wake of Cunningham's resignation in November after pleading guilty to taking millions in bribes, the number of candidates grew to 14 as of late last week. And the more the competition increased, the more likely it became that dirty politics would come into play, those political observers predicted. It appears the pundits may have been right. In recent days, two so-called...

Former U.S. Rep Hopes to Return to DC to Tackle U.S. Immigration Policy By Chad Groening January 17, 2006 (AgapePress) - A former U.S. representative from California says the University of California System's policy of offering in-state tuition fees to illegal aliens is just one example of how many state institutions discriminate against U.S. citizens while favoring illegal immigrants with special benefits in violation of federal law. Republican Brian Bilbray is running for the 50th Congressional District seat vacated by Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Bilbray says he wants to return to Washington to straighten out what he sees as the mess...

During his days as a Navy pilot, Randy "Duke" Cunningham headed a squadron whose members poked fun at each other by writing humorous entries in a journal dubbed the "hit log." Officers who served with Randy "Duke" Cunningham said the qualities that made him a good pilot – cockiness, a sense of entitlement – led to his undoing in Washington. Cunningham would make entries in the book from time to time, singling out his subordinates for good-natured ribbing. But his writing was so riddled with misspellings and tortured punctuation that a junior officer took to diagramming the sentences, describing Cunningham's...

During his days as a Navy pilot, Randy "Duke" Cunningham headed a squadron whose members poked fun at each other by writing humorous entries in a journal dubbed the "hit log." Cunningham would make entries in the book from time to time, singling out his subordinates for good-natured ribbing. But his writing was so riddled with misspellings and tortured punctuation that a junior officer took to diagramming the sentences, describing Cunningham's grammatical mistakes as "Dukelexsia." Miffed at the insult, Cunningham got rid of the logbook, said a former member of the squadron, Bob Clement. "Everybody knew he was a nice...

Dear Friends,I am pleased to endorse Howard Kaloogian for U.S. Congress. He has been thoroughly tested over the years in the political battles in Sacramento and has proven himself time and again as a stalwart defender of the family and traditional values. His leadership in the recall of Gov. Gray Davis showed his ability to make a plainspoken case for restoring common sense to state government.As a member of the U.S. House, Howard will do the same. He will quickly become a legislative leader at a time when conservative, common sense leadership is desperately needed to preserve marriage, stand...

Top Republicans in the House are buzzing - and scrambling - at news alleging that Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a former San Diego congressman who's pled guilty to bribery and other illegal activities, was wearing a wire for the FBI during the summer and early fall of 2005. The undercover operation, according to senior Justice and federal law enforcement, is part of a broadening investigation into the Jack Abramoff bribes-for-favors scandal now roiling Washington. The disgraced former lawmaker initially began cooperating with federal investigators after they uncovered evidence of his illegal acceptance of bribes in cash and luxury items from at...

Washington's power players have always bragged about being well-wired, but for disgraced former congressman Duke Cunningham, "wired" wasn't just a figure of speech. In a week when legislators are focused on the question of who else might be brought down by ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s cooperation with prosecutors as he seeks lenient sentencing over his two federal guilty pleas this week, sources tell TIME that ex-Rep. Cunningham wore a wire to help investigators gather evidence against others just before copping his own plea.