FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Former Congressman Duncan D. Hunter Sentenced to 11 Months in Prison for Stealing Campaign Funds
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily W. Allen (619) 546-9738; Mark Conover (619) 546-6763 and Phillip L.B. Halpern (619) 546-6964
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 17, 2020
SAN DIEGO – Former U.S. Representative Duncan D. Hunter was sentenced today to 11 months in prison for his admitted role in a years-long conspiracy to knowingly and willfully steal $250,000 in campaign funds that he and his wife used to maintain their lifestyle when their family was otherwise drowning in debt.
U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Whelan handed down the sentence and ordered Hunter to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons by May 29 at noon. The judge refused the defendant’s request to impose a sentence where Hunter would have served part or all of his sentence in home confinement, explaining that “the number of years and the amount of transactions” made such sentence inappropriate because this wasn’t a single act of theft but a crime committed repeatedly over almost a decade.
“Congressman Hunter violated the trust of his supporters by using hundreds of thousands of dollars they donated in good faith to his reelection campaign for personal expenditures,” said David Leshner, Attorney for the United States. Leshner praised prosecutors Phil Halpern, Emily Allen and Mark Conover as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their tireless pursuit of justice in this case: “These prosecutors conducted the investigation with the utmost professionalism, and they exemplify the Department of Justice’s commitment to upholding the rule of law. This case would not have been possible without their hard work, talent, and dedication to the pursuit of justice.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Halpern, in arguing for a strong sentence, told the court: “Rather than admit his guilt and resign his seat when the charges came to light, or even when he was originally charged, Hunter chose to mislead the more than 700,000 people who live in the 50th congressional district.” “As we now know, Hunter lied to the people about his guilt. Not once, but countless times. As a result of his duplicity, the voters were robbed of their right to representation in Congress – representation they are denied to this day. A price must be exacted when an elected representative seeks to cover up corruption by hiding behind lies.”
The government had sought a sentence of 14 months, but prosecutors said they were pleased with the outcome of the case. “We have the utmost respect for Judge Whelan, who is probably the most experienced judge on the federal bench,” Halpern said. “If Judge Whelan believed this to be the appropriate sentence, then it certainly was.”
As court filings show, both Hunter and his wife, Margaret, who also pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 7, used hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds as their personal piggy bank from 2010 through 2016. During that time, the Hunters stole money from the campaign for items as inconsequential as fast food, movie tickets and sneakers; as trivial as video games, Lego sets and Playdoh; as mundane as groceries, dog food, and utilities; and as self-indulgent as luxury hotels, overseas vacations and plane tickets for their family pet rabbits, Eggburt and Cadbury. Hunter gave his wife access to campaign funds so that she could subsidize their personal lifestyle, and repeatedly ignored his senior staff when they tried to rein in the rampant personal spending. When questions arose and the case went public, he falsely blamed his wife and family rather than taking responsibility for the crime.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/former-congressman-duncan-d-hunter-sentenced-11-months-prison-stealing-campaign-funds