One of the last decisions taken by Donald Trump before leaving office as US president on Wednesday was to pardon former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham.
Cunningham admitted in 2005 to accepting $2.55 million in illegal gifts from defense contractors in exchange for government contracts and other favours.
It was considered the largest bribery scandal in congressional history.
The disgraced former San Diego congressman received one of the pardons issued Wednesday which included several others with California connections.
He was released from prison in 2013. Trump granted Cunningham a conditional pardon for tutoring inmates while in prison and now volunteers for a local fire department.
The past administration said the pardon was strongly supported by Republican former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Broidy, of Beverly Hills, a major Trump fundraiser and former Republican National Committee deputy finance chairman also joined the list of those pardoned.
Broidy was accused of collecting millions of dollars in a back-channel but ultimately unsuccessful lobbying scheme aimed at getting the Trump administration to drop an investigation into embezzlement from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund and to extradite a Chinese dissident wanted by the government in Beijing.
He pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered lobbyist and was awaiting sentencing. The Trump administration said he is known for numerous philanthropic efforts, including on behalf of law enforcement and the Jewish community to deserve the pardon.
Robert Zangrillo, a Miami developer and investor, who was arrested in March 2019 in a college admissions bribery scheme was accused of paying $250,000 to get his daughter into the University of Southern California as a transfer in 2018.
Others granted pardon are Mahmoud Reza Banki and Adriana Shayota.
