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 NEW YORK (AP) - A businessman who was accused in the 1970s of trying to buy influence in Congress in the "Koreagate" scandal was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiring to influence the United Nations' oil-for-food program.
U.S. District Judge Denny Chin said the sentence was harsh for a defendant in poor health, but said it was reasonable and appropriate for 71-year-old Tongsun Park, convicted of accepting at least $2 million to secretly work on Iraq's behalf to influence the oil-for-food program.
Park, a South Korean, traveled to Iraq to pick up $700,000 in cash and accepted envelopes stuffed with $100 bills.
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