Navy ace and disgraced congressman Randy ‘Duke’ Cunningham dead at 83

Randy Duke Cunningham File photo courtesy of the U S Navy Former Rep Randy Duke Cunningham of San Diego who became a decorated Navy fighter pilot in Vietnam but was later disgraced by a bribery conviction has died at According to media reports he died on Wednesday in a hospital in Little Rock AR from an undisclosed illness Cunningham was sentenced in to eight years and four months in prison for his guilty pleas to conspiracy and tax evasion for taking million in bribes in return for unduly influencing the awarding of Defense Department contracts After being distributed in Cunningham denied accepting bribes and commented he regretted his plea He was later pardoned by President Trump in The staffs of The San Diego Union-Tribune and Copley News Operation shared a Pulitzer prize for national reporting in thanks to a series of stories that revealed the congressman s criminality Cunningham a Republican represented portions of San Diego County in Congress from Jan to Nov when he resigned Prior to politics he flew an F- Phantom fighter jet for the Navy during the Vietnam War shooting down five North Vietnamese MiG- s including three in one encounter He became the first ace of the war and earning the Navy Cross Randy Duke Cunningham right aboard his F- Phantom File photo courtesy of the U S Navy