LOS ANGELES – Randy “Duke” Cunningham, renowned as a U.S. Navy pilot who gained fame during the Vietnam War, transitioned to a career in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, his political journey ended in scandal after he was found guilty of accepting $2.4 million in bribes. He passed away at age 83.

Cunningham died on Wednesday at a hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, as confirmed by former Representative Duncan L. Hunter, who visited him a week prior to his passing.

Hunter described him as the embodiment of American valor, confronting adversaries at the forefront, alongside Cunningham in Congress.

As one of the most celebrated pilots in Vietnam, Cunningham was the first Navy fighter ace in the conflict, shooting down five enemy planes. His bravery earned him numerous accolades, including a Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, 15 Air Medals, and a Purple Heart.

“Disregarding his personal safety, he pressed on through intense gunfire to aid his fellow pilot,” stated the commendation accompanying his second Silver Star.

Largest bribery scandal at the time

Following eight terms in Congress, his career unraveled when he admitted in 2005 to accepting illicit gifts from defense contractors in return for government contracts, marking one of the most significant bribery cases in congressional history at that time.

The Republican congressman from San Diego admitted to accepting a luxury house, a yacht, a Rolls-Royce, lavish meals and $40,000 in Persian rugs and antique furniture from companies in exchange for steering lucrative contracts their way. He was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison in March 2006.

His corruption case was one of several that led to the creation of the Office of Congressional Ethics in 2008.

“In my life, I have known great joy and great sorrow. And now I know great shame,” Cunningham said in his resignation statement. “I cannot undo what I have done. But I can atone.”

He took a less contrite tone as time went on, telling news organizations and others that he regretted his guilty plea and complaining that the Internal Revenue Service was draining his savings.

“A lot of these things that they say are bribes I can absolutely black-and-white prove 100% that they were reimbursement for things that I had already paid,” Cunningham said in a phone interview with KGTV while he was in prison.

In December 2012, Cunningham was released from a federal prison in Arizona to serve the remainder of his sentence in a federal halfway house in New Orleans. It was the longest prison sentence for a member of Congress for taking bribes until Louisiana Democrat William Jefferson got 13 years in 2009.

His sentence also required he pay $1.8 million for back taxes and forfeit an additional $1.85 million for bribes he received, plus proceeds from the sale of a home in the highly exclusive San Diego suburb of Rancho Santa Fe. He was ordered to pay $1,500 a month in prison and $1,000 monthly after his release.

A strong conservative voice

Cunningham was born in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 1941, but grew up in Shelbina, Missouri, where his parents owned a five-and-dime store, according to court documents. He graduated from the University of Missouri and a few years later enlisted in the Navy in 1967.

He retired as a Navy commander in 1987 and gained national recognition as a media commentator on military topics. When he ran for office in 1990, he replaced Democratic Rep. Jim Bate in a left-leaning district who had been driven from office by charges of sexual harassment.

Cunningham took an interest in military affairs while in Congress and supported socially conservative positions. He drew attention for his outbursts — during a floor debate in 1995, he attacked his adversaries as “the same ones that would put homos in the military.”

“He brought military operational expertise to the debates in Congress,” said Hunter, recalling a debate he watched Cunningham have with a colleague over the fate of a fighter jet. “He was a strong conservative, strongly opinionated, and brought a real spark of light to the U.S. Congress.”

The disgraced former congressman received one of the pardons issued by President Donald Trump in 2021 at the end of his first term.

He has largely stayed out of the public eye since his release from prison, enjoying retirement in the countryside and serving as the president of the American Fighter Aces Association, according to Hunter.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon Cunningham, his adult son and two daughters, and other family members. His family could not be immediately reached for comment.

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Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat contributed from San Diego.