Brent R. Wilkes - Personal and Business

Personal and Business

Wilkes grew up in a San Diego suburb, Chula Vista, and graduated from San Diego State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and having completed his course work for an MBA with a concentration in Taxation. He then became a CPA while working for Arthur Andersen & Co., an international public accounting firm, in San Diego. He subsequently joined Deloitte Haskins & Sells in their Washington D.C. practice office before leaving public accounting to become the president of a D.C. based real estate development company. Later, he became consultant for a Southern California software company that was seeking federal contracts for converting paper documents to digital ones. He was George W. Bush's finance co-chairman in California, and also involved in Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign for governor. But it was as a federal contractor that he became involved with the Duke Cunningham bribery scandal. Wilkes was then living in Poway, California. In March 2010, Wilkes won a World Series of Poker event at Harrah’s Rincon Casino in Valley Center, CA. He pocketed $10,090 as the champ in the two-day Texas Hold ’Em tournament. Sporting a beard and a new nickname, Brent "The Enigma" Wilkes now claims to be living in Coronado, CA.