Former Navy Admiral arrested for bribery scheme

A retired four-star Navy admiral who commanded thousands of officers in Europe, Russia and Africa was arrested Friday on bribery charges related to a government contract.

Robert Burke is accused of giving two New York businessmen, Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger, a contract in exchange for future employment at their company, the Justice Department said. Kim and Messenger were also arrested Friday for their roles in the alleged plot.

The Justice Department did not name the company, but the website of New York-based NextJump lists Kim and Messenger as co-CEOs.

According to federal officials, the company ran a pilot personnel training program for a small group of Navy personnel starting in August 2018. The Navy canceled the contract the following year and instructed the company not to contact Burke.

But in July 2021, he allegedly met with the two co-CEOs in Washington DC and agreed that Burke would use his high-ranking position to broker “exclusive contract” to the company in exchange for future employment, court documents say.

Burke, 62, of Coconut Creek, Florida, agreed to persuade other officers to give the company another contract to train a “large portion” of the Navy. According to the Justice Department, Kim valued the contract at several hundred million dollars.

The former Navy executive is also accused of covering up the alleged scheme, claiming he played no role in the contract award and did not begin negotiating with the company about employment opportunities until months after the contract was awarded. A lawyer for Burke denied the alleged bribery scheme and told USA TODAY he intends to go to trial.

DOJ: Burke secured contract with company in exchange for future job

Five months after the Washington DC meeting, Burke allegedly directed his staff to award a $355,000 contract to the company to train officers under his command in Italy and Spain. According to federal officials, the company conducted the training in January 2022.

In October 2022, federal officials alleged that Burke began working at the company with a starting salary of $500,000.

Burke, Kim and Messenger are charged with bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery. Burke is also charged with engaging in acts detrimental to personal financial interests and withholding material facts from the United States. If convicted, Burke faces up to 30 years in prison, and Kim and Messenger each face up to 20 years.

“There is no compensation here”

Attorney Timothy Parlatore said Burke denies the allegations and claimed the Justice Department’s information was false. Parlatore told USA TODAY that Burke did not deny meeting with company executives in July 2021, but said the nature of the conversation was mischaracterized.

“I think the information they are relying on is inaccurate because there is no quid pro quo here,” he said.

There was no connection between the job offer and the contract awarded on behalf of the Navy, Parlatore said, other than that Burke believed in the product they offered and eventually accepted an offer from them. And Burke was allegedly still updating his resume and talking to other potential employers after the Washington DC meeting, suggesting he had not yet accepted a job as part of the alleged bribery scheme.

“We look forward to bringing this case before a jury and exonerating Admiral Burke of these false allegations,” Parlatore said.

NextJump did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment Friday.

Bribery allegations against public officials

The charges announced Friday are the latest in a series of alleged bribery cases involving public officials.

Earlier this month, the Justice Department announced that bribery and money laundering charges had been filed against Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and his wife. The couple are accused of embezzling about $600,000 from an oil and gas company with ties to the Azerbaijani government and a Mexico City-based bank. The indictment accuses Cuellar of attempting to corruptly influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan and of using his influence in the legislature to benefit the bank.

In January, two current and two former Massachusetts state troopers were indicted for allegedly accepting bribes to obtain a commercial driver’s license. Prosecutors accused the troopers of falsifying records and conspiring to give preferential treatment to at least 17 CDL applicants. The troopers even let through drivers who had failed the proficiency test, using the code word “golden” to identify such applicants, according to court records.

In March, federal prosecutors in Tennessee charged a U.S. soldier from Fort Campbell with selling national defense secrets to China. Korbein Schultz is said to have received $42,000 in 14 payments.

Related Posts

Woman has to have her arm amputated, three injured in shark attack in Florida

Weather warning: Heavy storms possible late in the day

Suspect arrested in Augusta Mall shooting in Connecticut