It’s interesting how soon we forget about public figures when they run afoul of the law. Sometimes years go by before we finally say, “Gee, whatever happened to Congressman so-and-so” and “I wonder when he’s getting out of prison.”
Well, ticklethewire.com was wondering the same. So we checked with the Bureau of Prisons to see when we might see some of the folks in public again. Here’s an update on their release dates.
Bernie Kerik: Kerik, 57, seemed to have it all. The former New York City Police Commissioner was a post-9/11 hero. He had his boy Rudy Giuliani promoting him. And then the roof fell in. He was caught lying when being considered for head of Homeland Security under George W. Bush. And he was busted for receiving about $255,000 in renovations to his apartment from a company seeking contracts with the city. He was sentenced to four years in prison for eight felony counts. He’s serving out his sentence now in New York. Release date: 10-15-2013.
Randall “Duke” Cunningham: Cunningham, 70, of California, was an influential Congressman who served from 1991 to 2005. His days as a player inside the Beltway ended when he resigned in November 2005 after copping a plea for taking at least $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors. He was sentenced to 8 years and four months. He’s currently serving out his sentence in Tucson. Release date: 6-4-2013.
William Jefferson: Jefferson, 65, the New Orleans Congressman, served nine terms before he was finally defeated. He could have been Congressman for life had it not been for an FBI sting. He was hardly known outside his district, that is until he stuffed $90,000 in marked FBI bills in freezer at his home on Capitol Hill. The judge in Alexandria, Va. hit him hard with a 13 year sentence. He is currently serving his time in Beaumont, Tex. Release date: 8-30-2023
Rod Blagojevich: You can only hope that Blago, 55, has learned to control his chatter-box persona in prison. Some people may not be so tolerant of that in such closed-in quarters. Blago was convicted in his first trial on only 1 of 24 counts, and that was for lying to an FBI agent. But the feds wised up and simplified the case in the second trial and got convictions on 17 of 20 counts. The judge didn’t hold back. He sentenced Blagojevich to 14 years in prison. He’s currently serving in Littleton, Colo. Release date: 5-23-2024
Bernie Madoff: Madoff, 74, will go down in history as one of the biggest swindlers of his time. He’s currently serving his sentence at the Butner prison facility in North Carolina. He got whacked with a ridiculous, but appropriate sentence of 150 years.Release date: NEVER.
George Ryan Sr: Ryan, 78, served as Illinois 39th governor from 1999 to 2003. He was convicted in 2006 of racketeering, fraud and other offenses involving favoritism and kickbacks for state contracts and property leases. He was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison. He is currently serving out his sentence in Terre Haute, Ind. Release date: 7-4-2013.
Monica Conyers: Conyers, 48, the wife of Rep. John Conyers Jr., was a city council member in Detroit. She was considered rather abrasive and combative and was particularly good at creating divisiveness in a city that could hardly afford that. She was convicted of bribery and sentenced to more than three years in prison. She’s currently serving her time in Alderson, W. Va.Release Date: 5-16-2013.
