Mr. Cunningham acted not out of passion, not a crime on the spur of the moment, he acted out of greed.

We submit that a six-year prison term cannot be called a slap on the wrist.

This man has been humiliated beyond belief by his own hand.

This man has been humiliated beyond belief by his own hand. He is estranged from those he loves most and cares most about. All his worldly possessions are gone. He will carry a crushing tax debt until the day he dies. He will go to jail until he's 70 years old.

There are men in this courtroom who are walking around and breathing because Duke Cunningham put his life at risk. There is no doubt that all of the good that he did in those many years will be washed away.

Given his contribution to this country and the community of San Diego, notwithstanding his admitted wrongdoing, such a sentence is grossly excessive. There's nothing about this sentence that can't be accomplished very effectively by locking up a 64-year-old war hero for six years.