Defense contractor denies bribing Cunningham

SAN DIEGO -- Defense contractor Brent Wilkes emphatically denied Friday bribing former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham as he took the stand in his trial, which had been suspended while wildfires ravaged Southern California.

Wilkes’ attorney, Mark Geragos, surprised prosecutors by calling Wilkes on the first day of trial in a week. The lawyer had not warned them he would be calling his client and had not hinted in earlier hearings that Wilkes would testify.

“Did you ever bribe him?” Geragos asked Wilkes, who spoke in calm, measured tones through about five hours on the stand.

“No, I didn’t,” Wilkes replied. He later reiterated, “I never bribed anyone, I never asked anyone to do anything for any reason other than that they believed in the projects.”

He has steadfastly denied prosecutors’ claims that he bribed Cunningham with luxurious trips, meals and even a rendezvous with prostitutes at a Hawaiian resort in exchange for the lawmaker’s assistance in securing nearly $90 million in federal contracts, mainly for digitizing documents. Geragos has said the transactions between Wilkes and the lawmaker were all legitimate.

Wilkes insisted he had never hired prostitutes for himself or the congressman, telling jurors that his nephew, an employee, had hired masseuses on a trip to Hawaii. Wilkes said he did not recognize the two escorts who testified for the government earlier in the trial that they had been paid to join the men in the hot tub of their private bungalow at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel in August 2003. One of the women said she went upstairs and had sex with a man she identified as Cunningham after he fed her grapes while she sat naked in the tub.

“I never had sex with them,” Wilkes said. Neither of the women who testified identified Wilkes in the courtroom.

Throughout his testimony, Wilkes blamed shady dealings with Cunningham on his nephew, Joel Combs, and his former colleague, Mitch Wade, who pleaded guilty in 2006 to bribing Cunningham. He said he only paid for a $4,000 meal with the congressman in Las Vegas because Wade stuck him with the check after ordering a $3,800 bottle of wine.

Prosecutor Phillip Halpern asked Wilkes whether he had told colleagues to deny any wrongdoing about their transactions with Cunningham.

“I believe you’re referring to the phrase, ‘Admit nothing, deny everything and make counteraccusations,’ ” Wilkes said. “It’s a CIA saying. It’s a joke.”

Wilkes produced a handful of checks written to his company by Cunningham’s campaign and political action committees to reimburse the lawmaker’s trips on Wilkes’ private jet, but said under cross-examination he did not know whether all of the lawmaker’s trips were reimbursed. Wilkes added that under House rules it was up to Cunningham’s office to pay the money back.

Wilkes also testified that while he most often approached Cunningham, he also had support from other lawmakers -- including former House Appropriations Committee Chair Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) and Rep. John Doolittle (R-Rocklin), who gave up his seat on the appropriations panel after FBI agents raided his home in April.

Cunningham, 65, is in a federal prison facility across the street from the courtroom where Wilkes’ trial is taking place. The disgraced congressman is serving more than eight years after pleading guilty in 2005 to accepting $2.4 million in cash payments, mortgage payments and other perks from defense contractors.

He has not been called to testify.

In February, Wilkes, 53, pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of conspiracy, bribery, fraud and money laundering. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

His trial was the only matter being heard Friday in San Diego’s federal courthouse, which has been closed since Monday. Wilkes was among those evacuated in the fires, and he stayed with Geragos at his hotel downtown until he was allowed back home on Thursday.

“I understand there were a lot of stressors this week and a lot of uncertainty,” said U.S. District Judge Larry Burns in a brief hearing with lawyers after jurors left.

Wilkes’ cross-examination will continue Tuesday.