Hunter campaign scandal

TRUMP PARDONS MARGARET HUNTER

Story and photo by Miriam Raftery
 
December 29,2020 (San Diego) – President Donald Trump last week pardoned Margaret Hunter, one day after also issuing a pardon for her estranged husband, former Congressman Duncan D. Hunter. Both pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to misuse campaign funds for personal experience.

Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

EX-REP. HUNTER HEADS TO PRISON JANUARY 4 IN EL PASO, TEXAS

By Miriam Raftery

October 18, 2020 (San Diego) – Disgraced former Congressman Duncan D. Hunter will begin serving his 11-month prison sentence on January 4, 2021. His defense lawyer, Den Burstein, told Roll Call that Hunter will be sent to a minimum security camp at the Federal Correctional Institute La Tuna in El Paso county, Texas. 


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

MARGARET HUNTER ESCAPES PRISON TERM; PROSECUTORS DEFEND LIGHT SENTENCE

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Margaret Hunter, wife of former Congressman Duncan D. Hunter, walks past the federal courthouse on Broadway with her attorney Logan Smith after her sentencing on corruption charges. Photo by Chris Stone

August 24, 2020 (San Diego) - Former Rep. Duncan D. Hunter is going to prison. His wife and co-conspirator will not.

Thanks to her “extraordinary” cooperation with federal prosecutors, Margaret Hunter will serve just eight months of “punitive home detention” starting immediately.* Her estranged husband will begin 11 months behind bars in January.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

SENTENCING DELAY SOUGHT FOR WIFE OF EX-REP. DUNCAN HUNTER IN CORRUPTION CASE

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Duncan and Margaret Hunter are shown during November 2015 Italian trip the government says was a family vacation financed by his campaign fund.

March 31, 2020 (San Diego) - Margaret Hunter’s sentencing for her part in the corruption case that forced her congressman husband from office may be delayed a month.

On Monday, government and defense lawyers jointly requested a continuance, or postponement, in the sentencing hearing of former Rep. Duncan D. Hunter’s wife from April 6 to May 4 “or as soon thereafter as is convenient for the court.”


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

SEX, LIES AND CREDIT CARDS: DUNCAN HUNTER'S CRIMES, COURAGE LAID OUT FOR JUDGE

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  former Rep. Hunter appearing to down a shot of alcohol in a Las Vegas bar.

March 11, 2020 (San Diego) - Duncan Hunter gave up his day in court, but prosecutors of the six-term Republican congressman laid out new evidence for his misuse of campaign funds in a mammoth data dump Tuesday accompanying their call for a 14-month prison term.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

DUNCAN HUNTER'S WIFE SEEKS APRIL SENTENCING; DELAY COULD HELP PROSECUTORS

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association 

Photo:  Rep. Duncan D. Hunter and his wife, Margaret, are seen in La Mesa at 2014 Polonia United event for Polish-Americans in the San Diego region. Photo by Miriam Raftery

October 22, 2019 (San Diego) - Giving prosecutors more time to bolster their corruption case against Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, the congressman’s wife has asked that her federal sentencing be delayed four months.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

DUNCAN HUNTER'S CRIMINAL TRIAL PUSHED EIGHT DAYS CLOSER TO MARCH 2020 ELECTION

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Trailed by news cameras but no protesters, Rep. Duncan D. Hunter leaves federal court after agreeing to new trial date. Photo by Ken Stone

October 7, 2019 (San Diego) - Rep. Duncan D. Hunter’s criminal trial on campaign spending misconduct was reset Monday for Jan. 22, 2020, at his legal team’s request — an eight-day delay to accommodate a 9th Circuit appeal.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

9TH CIRCUIT TO HEAR DUNCAN HUNTER APPEAL OF CORRUPTION CHARGES IN DECEMBER

By Ken Stone

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, 42, will have to make his case in the 9th Circuit in December. Photo by Ken Stone

September 26, 2019 (San Diego) - Rep Duncan D. Hunter will get a shot at arguing for dismissal of his corruption charges in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.  But government prosecutors got their way on the time frame.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

U.S. ATTORNEYS ACCUSE DUNCAN HUNTER LAWYER OF DISTORTING JUDGE REMARKS

By Ken Stone

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Devin Burstein of downtown San Diego’s Warren & Burstein is Rep. Duncan Hunter’s lawyer before the 9th Circuit. Photo via warrenburstein.com

September 16, 2019 (San Diego) - Rep. Duncan Hunter’s lawyer left out facts and distorted a federal judge’s remarks when he asked an appeals court to hear arguments he hopes would lead to the Alpine Republican’s corruption case being dismissed, prosecutors say.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

HUNTER TRIAL DELAYED UNTIL JANUARY, POSING DILEMMA FOR CANDIDATES AND VOTERS

Republicans Bill Wells and Carl DeMaio voice intent to challenge Hunter; others silent on whether they will run if Hunter is on the ballot

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy Times of San Diego

August 14, 2019 (San Diego) – Judge Thomas Whelan has ruled that Congressman Duncan Hunter’s federal corruption trial will be postponed until January 14th.  That’s after the Dec. 6 deadline for candidates to run for the seat, posing a dilemma for some Republican candidates who have said they would not run if Hunter is still in the race. If the trial extends into February, voters could be casting early vote-by-mail ballots without knowing if Hunter has been found guilty or not.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

PROSECUTION SEEKS DELAY IN SENTENCING OF REP. HUNTER’S WIFE

By Miriam Raftery
 
August 6, 2019 (San Diego) – Federal prosecutors have filed a request in U.S. District Court asking to postpone the sentencing date for Margaret Hunter until December 2, after the trial of her husband, Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine), the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

JUDGE DENIES HUNTER REQUESTS TO DROP CHARGES, REMOVE PROSECUTORS, OR MOVE TRIAL OUTSIDE REGION

By Miriam Raftery
 
Photo by Chris Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association
 
July 8, 2019 (San Diego) – U.S. District Judge Thomas Whelan has rejected a trio of requests sought by Congressman Duncan Hunter’s legal team, City News Service reports.
 
Hunter’s lawyers argued that all 60 federal corruption charges should be dismissed or that two prosecutor should be removed because they once attended a presidential campaign event for Hillary Clinton in 2015. The U.S. Attorney’s office said the prosecutors attended the event in their official capacity to help law enforcement. Whelen ruled that prosecutors had sufficient probable cause to prosecute Hunter regardless of the reasons why prosecutors attended the function. 

Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

REP. HUNTER’S LAWYERS FILE MOTION TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE OF AFFAIRS

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Activists have announced a rally Monday morning calling on Rep. Hunter to resign

June 29, 2019 (San Diego) – Congressman Duncan D. Hunter’s legal team has filed a motion asking a federal court in San Diego to deny the prosecution’s motion which seeks to admit evidence that Hunter’s alleged misuse of campaign funds included money spent on five extramarital affairs.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

PROSECUTION DETAILS FIVE 'ROMANCES' BY REP. DUNCAN HUNTER USING CAMPAIGN CASH

By Ken Stone

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

June 25, 2019 (San Diego) - Rep. Duncan D. Hunter carried on “romances” with five women starting as early as April 2009 using campaign funds to pay for trysts, prosecutors wrote Monday in a motion devastating in detail.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER: EMAIL PROVES WHY FEDERAL PROSECUTION IS POLITICAL

By Ken Stone

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, shown at recent Ramona forum, says a Freedom of Information Act request generated a Secret Service email indicating San Diego federal prosecutors attended a Hillary Clinton fund-raiser for the sake of getting a photo with the eventual Democratic presidential nominee. Photo by Ken Stone

June 25, 2019 (San Diego) - Rep. Duncan D. Hunter has long accused the San Diego U.S. Attorney's Office of being out to get him for political reasons. Now his lawyers are hoping a motion filed Monday proves it.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

Weddings in East County

Best beverage catering

Hot Coupons

Support ECM while Shopping on Amazon