Brent R. Wilkes

Brent R. Wilkes is a Bush Pioneer who raised at least $100,000 for the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2004. According to Federal Election Commission filings, Wilkes and his wife have donated $139,806 to politicians since 2001, not including the $100,000 Wilkes raised as an elite fundraising Pioneer for Bush in 2004. 

Wilkes is the founder of defense contractor ADCS, Inc., "a San Diego IT services company." 

Profiles
In Spring 2005, Brent Wilkes was identified as president of the Wilkes Corporation: earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from San Diego State University in 1977 and attended the SDSU Graduate School of Business. "Based in San Diego, Wilkes Corporation provides leadership, knowledge and personnel for technology and defense-related corporations. The Wilkes Corporation is the parent company to several other California corporations including:" ADCS, Inc., Group W Advisors, Inc., Group W Media Productions, Inc., Group W Events, Inc., Paradigm Knowledge Management, Inc., Group W Holdings, Inc., and Group W Transportation, Inc.

Affiliations

 * Brent Wilkes, ADCS, Inc.: Board Member, San Diego International Sports Council (2002)
 * Board Member, Wings Over America Scholarship Foundation (2004, 2005)

Campaign contributions
Brent Wilkes "gave more than $840,000 in contributions to 32 House members or candidates, campaign-finance records show. He flew Republican lawmakers on his private jet and hired lobbyists with close ties to those lawmakers," Matt Kelley and Jim Drinkard reported November 30, 2005, for USA Today.

"Duke" Cunningham
Brent Wilkes is the defense contractor who "allowed" Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham the "use of a 14.5-foot, 170-horsepower fiberglass boat several years ago when it was docked near Cunningham's yacht in Washington, D.C.," Dean Calbreath and Jerry Kammer wrote September 10, 2005, for Copley News Service.

Like Cunningham "campaign contributor and close friend" Mitchell J. Wade, Wilkes "received Cunningham's support in his efforts to secure federal contracts" for ADCS, Inc., "which converts paper documents into a digital format. Since 1997, Wilkes and other ADCS insiders have given nearly $70,000 to Cunningham and his political action committee," Calbreath and Kammer said. "During that period, Wilkes' company gained at least $80 million in contracts from the Pentagon."

Wilkes convicted
Wilkes was convicted on November 5, 2007 on all 13 counts of conspiracy, bribery, money laundering, and wire fraud. The individual counts carry maximum sentences ranging from 5 to 20 years. His attorney, Geragos, said "I don’t believe this case was proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Obviously I’m very disappointed. I think he shares the confidence that we’ll get it reversed."

U.S. attorney in San Diego, Karen Hewitt, said "This case demonstrates our firm commitment that those who bribe federal officials shall face criminal consequences for their wrongdoing." The jury forewoman said jurors were disappointed not to hear from Cunningham. "It would have been nice to hear his perspective on what happened, seeing that he’s at the center of all this," she said. The jury spent under four full days deliberating before returning the verdict.

Geragos told the judge he intended to appeal on grounds that grand jury secrets were deliberately and illegally disclosed to the news media before Wilkes was indicted in February, 2007. He said he intended to subpoena at least two reporters to determine if the leaks came from the prosecution team. U.S. District Judge Larry Burns told Geragos his prospects for getting the verdict dismissed on only that basis were small.

Attorneys representing Wilkes in a separate federal case said they may ask for him to remain free after sentencing in order to prepare for trial. In the second case, Wilkes was charged with offering former CIA executive director Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, a childhood friend, a job and treating him to golf vacations in return for help getting contracts. Both men had pleaded not guilty to 30 counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering.

Wilkes searched
The August 18, 2005, San Diego area newspapers "reported the search by FBI, Internal Revenue Service and Defense Department agents" at both ADCS Inc. offices and "the home of its chief executive, Brent Wilkes, a major contributor to Republican politicians." Wilkes, who is "under investigation by a San Diego grand jury," is a former business associate of Wade, the head of MZM Inc. and a "former consultant to ADCS who met Cunningham through his work for the San Diego company, according to sources familiar with the relationship," Charles R. Babcock and R. Jeffrey Smith, reported in the Washington Post.

Meddling
"The Pentagon's inspector general previously investigated several ADCS contracts because of complaints 'alleging favoritism and inappropriate actions,' and he concluded in 1999 that they were awarded as the result of irregular procedures. Louis A. Kratz, an assistant deputy undersecretary of defense, said in a recent interview that he had requested the IG probe. Both Cunningham and Wilkes had called him seeking the release of funds for ADCS, he said," Babcock and Smith wrote. "Kratz said he had never before experienced anything close to their 'meddling' and 'arrogance.' Wilkes 'implied that it was his money,' Kratz said, though the funding was earmarked for a program, not a company. The document conversion program was later killed, Kratz said."

SourceWatch resources

 * Republican 'culture of corruption'

Profiles

 * "Governor Schwarzenegger Announces Appointments," Political Shirts.us, undated: "Brent Wilkes, 49, of Poway, has been appointed to the Del Mar Fair Board. He is the president of the Wilkes Corporation, which provides leadership, knowledge and personnel for technology and defense related corporations. This position does not require Senate confirmation and is unpaid. Wilkes is a Republican."

Articles & commentary

 * Dean Calbreath, "Politicians' private-jet use raises questions. Cunningham among those who flew on tiny S.D. air carrier," San Diego Union-Tribune, August 5, 2005.
 * Charles R. Babcock and R. Jeffrey Smith, "Search Targets Contractor With Ties to Lawmaker," Washington Post, August 18, 2005.
 * "Feds seek congressman's house," UPI (Science Daily), August 18, 2005.
 * Dean Calbreath and Jerry Kammer, "Poway contractor provided a loaner," Copley News Service, September 10, 2005.
 * Marcus Stern. Jerry Kammer and Dean Calbreath, "Lawmaker contacted contractor early on. Once on panel, Cunningham wrote to figure now in probe," San Diego Union-Tribune, October 5, 2005.
 * Jeff Mazur, "GOP Rep Cops to Taking Bribes from Contractor with Ties to Roy Blunt," Fired Up Missouri!, November 28, 2005.
 * Elliot Spagat, "San Diego-area Rep. Cunningham pleads guilty to conspiracy," Associated Press (San Diego Union-Tribune), November 28, 2005.
 * Matt Kelley and Jim Drinkard, "Contractor spends big on key lawmakers," USA Today, November 29, 2005.
 * Laura Rozen, "Cunningham, Wilkes, and the CIA?" TAPPED, November 29, 2005.
 * Matt Kelley and Jim Drinkard, "US: Defense Contractor Spends Big on Key Lawmakers," USA Today (CorpWatch), November 30, 2005.
 * Josephine Hearn, "Co-Conspirators' Largesse Extended to Many," The Hill (TruthOut), November 30, 2005.
 * Charles R. Babcock, "Contractors Linked to Bribery Case Worked Together," Washington Post, November 30, 2005.
 * Daniel Hopsicker, "Cunningham Stripped $700 Million from U.S. Defense. 'Dukester's' Epic Boo-Hoo Hiding Massive Pentagon Rip-Off," Mad Cow Morning News, November 30, 2005.
 * Erica Werner, "Committee to Probe Cunningham's Intel Work," Associated Press (AllAroundPhilly, December 1, 2005.
 * Laura Rozen, "Republican Running for Cunningham's Seat," War and Piece, December 2, 2005. Brian P. Bilbray received campaign contributions from Wilkes 1998-2000.
 * LieparDestin, "Cunningham, Wilkes, and the Poway Mafia," Daily Kos, December 3, 2005.
 * Dean Calbreath and Jerry Kammer, "ADCS founder spent years cultivating political contacts," San Diego Union-Tribune, December 4, 2005.
 * "DC Sex Scandal About To Break?" Hotline Blog/National Journal, December 5, 2005.
 * Laura Rozen, "Conflicts of Interest: Cunningham, Wilkes, and the CIA" (Cont'd), TAPPED, December 5, 2005.
 * Ellen Miller, "Abramoffian Web of Corruption," TPM Cafe, December 6, 2005.
 * Roxanna Tiron, "Wilkes companies leave little trace in cyberspace," The Hill, December 6, 2005: "Among K Street'shundreds of lobbying shops, Group W Advisors stands out because it does not exist in the virtual universe."
 * Erica Werner, "Defense contractors tried to curry favor," Associated Press (Boston Globe), December 9, 2005.
 * "The. Biggest. Scandal. Ever! Phony Front Companies Cycle Millions Back to GOP!" Daily Kos, December 10, 2005: "Brent Wilkes & Mitchell Wade - Bagmen in the Successful Plot to Take Over the United States and Enrich GOP Officeholders."