Duke-Kontogiannis grudge match plays out!
The North County Times has obtained Coast Guard documents which show that in May Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham signed two registration documents attesting that he was the owner of the Kelly C when in fact it was owned by New York real estate developer Thomas Kontogiannis who paid Duke $627,000 not long after he was convicted of price-rigging and bribery back in New York.
After signing the first document he sent a follow-up letter to the Coast Guard in which he wrote: “I am the sole owner of the ‘Kelly C.'”
When asked, Duke’s lawyer K. Lee Blalack told the paper: “These documents are entirely consistent with your previous reports regarding Duke’s attempt to register the Kelly C in his name in anticipation of its resale from Mr. Kontogiannis.” So, I guess Blalack is saying the documents confirm the paper’s early claim that Duke made false statement on official government documents?
Meanwhile, a San Diego yacht salesman says of the sale price: “It might be worth a couple hundred thousand, maybe —– but probably not … I would say that what he sold it for is a gross overestimate of value.”
Then there’s this: “Kontogiannis said that the bill of sale he received from Cunningham is for $1 plus other valuables. When asked why they agreed to put the sale price so low, when in fact the amount he said he paid Cunningham was $627,000, Kontogiannis said that using a symbolic price of $1 is common in such transactions.”
I’ve never bought or sold a boat. But is that common?
