A retired four-star U.S. Navy admiral was arrested Friday in connection with an alleged bribery scheme. which involved a government contract.
Robert P. Burke, 62, who from 2020 to 2022 oversaw U.S. naval operations in Europe, Russia and most of Africa, has been charged with corruption, conspiracy to commit bribery -wine, acts aimed at affecting a personal financial interest and concealment of material facts. , according to a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ).
He could face a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison if convicted, the DOJ said.
Burke denies the accusations, reported news from the United States Naval Institute.
Also arrested were Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger, the co-CEOs of the company, which was not named in the DOJ statement but was reported by USNI News to be called Next Jump. for charges related to their role in the alleged bribery scheme.
Both men are charged with corruption and conspiracy to commit bribery and each face up to 20 years in prison, the DOJ statement said.
The alleged scheme involved Burke accepting future employment with the executives’ company in exchange for being awarded a government contract, according to the DOJ release.
According to the indictment, Kim and Messenger of New York first obtained a government contract to provide training for U.S. Navy pilots from 2018 to 2019, which Burke had advocated for. The Navy terminated the contract and ordered the two CEOs not to contact Burke.
However, the indictment alleges that Kim and Messenger contacted Burke several times, eventually having a call in which Burke said he wanted to work with the company, which Kim said should be related to a deal, according to the indictment.
The DOJ indictment alleges that Burke met with Kim and Messenger in Washington, D.C., in July 2021, where he agreed to influence other officers to award another contract to Kim’s company and Messenger, a deal Kim valued at “three-digit millions.”
It is alleged that Burke then ordered his team to award Messenger and Kim’s company a contract to train naval personnel in Italy and Spain. According to the release, the contract was worth $355,000.
Burke began working at the company in October 2022 with a starting salary of $500,000 and a grant of 100,000 stock options, the DOJ release said.
“Admiral Burke used his public office and four-star status for personal gain,” U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves said in the DOJ statement.
“The law makes no exception for admirals or CEOs. Those who pay and receive bribes must be held accountable. The emergency is at its height when, as here, high-ranking officials and executives would be involved in corruption,” he said. .
According to Burke’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, Burke made his first appearance in a Florida court Friday afternoon and is expected to be arraigned in Washington, DC.
“We intend to go to trial and we hope he will be found not guilty,” Paralotre told USNI News.
“The biggest problem with this indictment is the timing. The DOJ wrongly believes that there was a job offer and employment agreement much earlier than there actually was. There is no consideration, no employment contract,” he said.
“It seems strange that he then went to work for them, but he did not enter into serious contract negotiations until the appropriate time and with the appropriate authorizations.”
In a statement, the U.S. Navy told USNI News that the service “has cooperated with this investigation from the beginning. We take this matter very seriously and will continue to cooperate with the Department of Justice.”
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