My apologies for the quick and dirty diary. I wanted to share a weird flitting of news regarding Brent Wilkes, convicted briber of Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Yesterday, North County Times reported "federal prosecutors have positioned themselves to ask an appellate court to toughen the prison sentence a judge handed Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes." Amen.
This evening, San Diego Union Tribune reports "Wilkes free while pursuing appeal". The article opens:
A federal appeals court has ordered the release from prison of former Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes while he pursues an appeal of his bribery conviction and 12-year sentence.
The order from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was issued Thursday by judges Thomas G. Nelson and A. Wallace Tashima. Wilkes was convicted in November of bribing former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham and sentenced three months later to 144 months in prison. He immediately appealed the conviction and sought to remain free, but U.S. District Judge Larry Burns refused and ordered him into custody.
In a brief order, Nelson and Tashima said it was unlikely that Wilkes poses a danger to the community or would flee if he were released.
At sentencing in February, Wilkes was immediately remanded to the custody of the US Bureau of Prisons. Today, he walked out of the Metropolitan Correctional Complex in San Diego a seemingly free man.
There is no justice.