Duke Cunningham

Randall Harold Cunningham (born December 8, 1941), usually known as Randy or Duke, is a United States Navy veteran and former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from California's 50th Congressional District from 1991 to 2005.

Cunningham resigned from the House on November 28, 2005, after pleading guilty to accepting at least $2.4 million in bribes and under-reporting his taxable income for 2004. He pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion. He was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison and was ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution. On June 4, 2013, Cunningham completed his prison sentence and he currently lives in Arkansas.

Prior to his political career, Cunningham was an officer and pilot in the U.S. Navy for 20 years. Cunningham and Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) William P. "Irish" Driscoll, working as a flight crew, became the only navy flying aces of the Vietnam War. He was one of the most highly decorated United States Navy pilots in the Vietnam War, receiving the Navy Cross once, the Silver Star twice, the Air Medal 15 times, and the Purple Heart . Following the war, Cunningham became an instructor at the U.S. Navy's Fighter Weapons School, better known as TOPGUN, and commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 126 (VF-126), a shore-based adversary squadron at NAS Miramar, California.