Probation Officials Recommend 60 Years For Wilkes

According to court records made public on Monday, the pre-sentencing report filed by federal probation officials in the case of Brent Wilkes recommends that Wilkes be sentenced to 60 years in prison. Wilkes, the owner and founder of defense contractor ADCS Inc, was convicted by jury trial in November by on 13 counts including conspiracy, bribery, money laundering and wire fraud in connection with the Duke Cunningham bribery scandal. Cunningham is serving a 100 month sentence. Prosecutors have not yet commented on the recommendation; Wilkes’ attorney Mark Geragos claimed that probation officials were attributing all the firm’s federal contract work to criminal behavior and called the recommendation “essentially a life sentence” for Wilkes, who is 53. Sentencing is now scheduled for February 19 before US District Judge Larry Burns in San Diego. The San Diego Union-Tribune story is here.