The Fall of a Top Gun Legend
From War Hero to Convicted Felon
The blockbuster film “Top Gun: Maverick” is thrilling audiences across the country. However, one Top Gun legend, who was a Vietnam War Navy fighter ace, crashed not due to enemy fire, but for betraying the trust of the American people and committing criminal acts. This essay was adapted from Washington Babylon: From George Washington to Donald Trump, Scandals That Rocked the Nation.
Earning an annual congressional paycheck of just over $160,000 is more than most Americans ever dream about. On top of that, pulling down a yearly Navy commander retirement of about $40,000 translates into a very comfortable salary. But there is no way even a $200,000 annual income could finance the purchase of a $2.5 million southern California home, a Washington, DC, condominium, a yacht, a Rolls-Royce, and many other expensive toys. However, Republican Congressman Randall “Duke” Cunningham of California did just that.
Duke Cunningham was a hero in Navy circles in the early 1970s. He was a Navy fighter pilot who flew combat missions over North Vietnam. Piloting the F-4 Phantom II, Cunningham and his radar intercept officer shot down five North Vietnamese tactical aircraft.[i] The radar intercept officer (RIO) sits behind the pilot in the cockpit of the F-4 and operates the radar and other electronic systems. His Vietnam tour experience made Cunningham a Navy legend. In just one day, on May 10, 1972, Cunningham shot down three Soviet-made MiG tactical aircraft, for a total of five shoot-downs, giving him “ace” status. While en route to the carrier USS Constellation, a surface-to-air missile struck Cunningham’s Phantom, causing both him and his RIO to eject. A Marine Corps helicopter rescued both men.
Cunningham followed his Vietnam deployment with an assignment at the Navy Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar, a short distance from San Diego. Known as “Top Gun,” the school teaches junior officers the skills to improve their airmanship as pilots and RIOs. Some may be familiar with the fictionalized account of the school portrayed in the 1986 film Top Gun, followed by the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
Cunningham retired from the Navy in 1987 and settled in the San Diego area. In 1990, he challenged an incumbent congressman and narrowly won. He would go on to be reelected to Congress for another seven terms.
As with most people with prior military service, Cunningham was considered a natural fit for military and intelligence committee assignments. Occasionally, he was brash and overbearing in dealing with other members of Congress, but he probably received a pass for his attitude because he was considered a war hero.
There was a curious development involving Cunningham in 2003. The California congressman sold his home in the San Diego suburb of Del Mar to a buyer for $1.675 million. Interestingly, the home was sold without having been included on the realty multiple listing service and without a realtor executing the sale.[ii] A month later, the new owner placed the home back on the market at the steeply discounted price of $975,000. This new owner happened to be the founder of defense contractor, MZM Inc., and he was no stranger to Cunningham.
The home sat on the market for nearly a year before it was sold at the dramatically lower price. After Cunningham sold his Del Mar home, he purchased another home for $2.55 million in Rancho Santa Fe, a tony community in northern San Diego County.
Mitchell Wade founded the defense firm, MZM, in 1993. According to local news reports, the firm struggled to land government contracts for the first decade it was in business. However, around the timeframe of the Cunningham home purchase, MZM began receiving multimillion-dollar defense contracts. The year Cunningham sold his house, MZM landed $41 million in defense contracts.[iii] According to one news report, MZM received more than $160 million in government contracts in just a few years’ time after the Cunningham home sale.[iv]
When news broke in 2005 regarding the seemingly odd home purchase, immediate relisting, and eventual resale, a company representative explained MZM bought the single-family home in an effort at “expanding our company presence in San Diego.”[v]
The company placed the residence back on the market, the representative said, after company officials realized the home did not fit the company’s business needs. To be sure, it seemed strange that a defense firm would purchase a home in a residential neighborhood about twenty miles north of downtown San Diego as an ideal location to conduct business or to increase the company profile.
A few weeks after the home-sale story broke, teams of federal agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and Defense Criminal Investigative Service raided Cunningham’s new home, MZM’s Washington, DC, offices, and other property belonging to Wade. One of the Wade properties searched was a forty-two-foot yacht in Washington, DC. Cunningham had been living on the yacht when Congress was in session and was paying dock and maintenance fees in lieu of rent.
The investigation revealed at least three other individuals were embroiled in Cunningham’s scandal. These included a San Diego-area defense contractor, a New York developer, and a mortgage company president. Government documents allege Cunningham accepted more than $2 million in bribes consisting of cash and gifts, including a used Rolls-Royce automobile.[vi]
By mid-July, Cunningham decided not to seek a ninth term in Congress. In a press conference, with his wife by his side, Cunningham addressed the investigation into his finances. “I want to assure my constituents that I have acted honorably in the performance of my duties in Congress. This truth will be evident in time,” he said.[vii]
Faced with overwhelming evidence, on November 28, 2005, Cunningham released a statement admitting he behaved illegally, and he intended to plead guilty to charges of conspiracy and tax evasion. “The truth is—I broke the law, concealed my conduct, and disgraced my high office. I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions, and most importantly, the trust of my friends and family.”
On March 3, 2006, Randall “Duke” Cunningham was sentenced to eight years and four months in federal prison. Cunningham became prisoner #94405-198 at the United States Penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona.
Mark Hyman is an Emmy award-winning investigative journalist. Follow him on Twitter, Gettr, and Parler at @markhyman, and on Truth Social at @markhyman81.
His books Washington Babylon: From George Washington to Donald Trump, Scandals That Rocked the Nation and Pardongate: How Bill and Hillary Clinton and their Brothers Profited from Pardons are on sale now (here and here).
[i] Seth Hettena, Feasting on the Spoils: The Life and Times of Randy “Duke” Cunningham, History’s Most Corrupt Congressman, (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2007), 15.
[ii] Marcus Stern, “Cunningham Defends Deal with Defense Firm’s Owner,” San Diego Union-Tribune, June 12, 2005.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Mark Walker, “Feds Raid Cunningham Home, MZM Offices and Boat,” San Diego Union-Tribune, July 2, 2005.
[v] Marcus Stern, “Cunningham Defends Deal….”
[vi] Mark Walker, “Feds Raid Cunningham Home….”
[vii] William Finn Bennett, “Cunningham Says He Will Step Down At the End of Term,” North County Times, July 15, 2005.