Wilkes Hires Big-Ticket LawyerI noticed in the NCTimes Cunningham piece today that Brent Wilkes, the alleged Cunningham briber at the center of Hookergate, has traded up in legal representation, from his original San Diego-based lawyer.
He’s now represented by Nancy Luque, a tough former federal prosecutor who’s now a high-priced D.C.defense attorney. (Wilkes’ company is reportedly near-defunct, but he recently borrowed $1.5 million against his house in February.)
Here’s how Washingtonian magazine described Luque in 2004:
There is no more loyal defender of her clients than Luque, a vivacious native Californian. In the best tradition of criminal lawyers like Clarence Darrow, one of her heroes, Luque loves to fight for the underdog and the unpopular cause. She represented convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard and, more recently, Muslim individuals and organizations in Northern Virginia accused by the Justice Department of helping fund alleged terrorist organizations. You don’t hire Luque for just a caseâonce sheâs on your side, it’s usually for life.
Did Wilkes choose her for her credentials? No doubt. But it can’t hurt that she’s a “California native,” like he is — and the two attended San Diego State University together. (No word yet on whether they knew each other.)
