A former Democratic campaign treasurer was sentenced Wednesday to more than eight years in federal prison for defrauding high-profile clients such as U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in a case that a judge said tampered with the electoral process.
Kinde Durkee, who has been described by prosecutors as the Bernie Madoff of campaign treasurers, was sentenced to a total of 97 months and ordered to pay $10.5 million in restitution after pleading guilty to five counts of mail fraud in March. It's unlikely, however, that most of the money will ever be repaid, since Durkee has few assets.