WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Duncan Hunter, the California Republican who improperly spent more than $150,000 in campaign funds on personal pursuits, will likely report to prison next year, several months beyond his original May report date.
In a joint motion filed Tuesday, the government and Hunter’s attorney ask U.S. District Court Judge Thomas J. Whelan to push his self-surrender date to Jan. 4, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In exchange for the government’s agreement to delay Hunter’s report date, he agreed to not attempt to modify his 11-month prison sentence or ask to subtract time he has spent in home confinement from his prescribed time in federal custody.
The filing was signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Allen — whom Hunter has previously denigrated for being a partisan Department of Justice employee — and his lawyer, Devin Burstein.
Hunter was sentenced to prison on March 17 for illegally spending campaign money on a wide range of luxuries, including a family vacation to Italy and immense bar tabs. His resignation from Congress took effect Jan. 13, closing out an 11-year career.
Former Rep. Chris Collins, a New York Republican who was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for insider trading, also asked the judge presiding over his case to postpone his report date to June because of the coronavirus. That request was granted.
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