Mike Blake/Reuters
Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) arrives for his arraignment at federal court in San Diego, California, U.S. August 23, 2018.
- Former Rep. Duncan Hunter has been sentenced to 11 months in prison after pleading guilty to a felony conspiracy charge in December.
- Hunter, an early Trump supporter who rose to prominence in Washington for shenanigans such as vaping during a congressional hearing, was found guilty of conspiring with his wife to shuttle more than $150,000 of campaign money for personal use.
- The couple reportedly relied on campaign funds for years to cover expenses from dental bills and fast food to private school tuition and vacations, according to the San Diego Tribune.
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Disgraced former California Congressman Duncan Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in federal prison on Monday, according to the San Diego Tribune.
Hunter, 43, was an early and prominent supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign.
He went viral for vaping during a Congressional hearing, and became known as the "vaping congressman."
Hunter pleaded guilty in December to a felony conspiracy charge stemming from an investigation into campaign finance violations by the then-congressman and his wife, Margaret.
For years, the couple reportedly relied on campaign funds to cover expenses from dental bills and fast food to private school tuition and vacations.
Margaret pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against her husband.
Prosecutors also alleged the two denigrated the military and masked their personal spending under the guise of gifts for wounded veterans. During a trip to Hawaii in 2015, Hunter, a former US Marine officer, allegedly told Margaret he planned "to buy my Hawaii shorts" but had run out of money. Margaret advised him to buy the shorts at a golfing gear shop so they could later describe the sale as "some [golf] balls for the wounded warriors," the indictment said.
Hunter allegedly attempted to justify using campaign money to fund a family trip to Italy in 2015, by setting up a tour of a US Navy facility in the country. Navy officials said they could not accommodate a tour on his date, to which he responded by telling his chief of staff, "tell the navy to go f--- themselves," the indictment said.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas J. Whelan ordered Hunter to surrender himself by May 29, with Margaret set to appear for sentencing on April 7, according to the Tribune.
David Choi contributed reporting to this article.