Former US Navy deputy arrested in connection with alleged bribery scheme

A former commander of the U.S. Marine Forces in Europe and Africa was arrested Friday in connection with an alleged bribery scheme that authorities say involved getting a company government contracts in exchange for future employment, the Justice Department said.

Robert Burke, 62, is accused of participating in the bribery scheme during his tenure as a four-star admiral from 2020 to 2022. According to an indictment unsealed Friday, Burke met with the unidentified company’s co-CEOs, Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger, in 2021 to restore the business relationship with the Navy – even though the contract with the company had been terminated in 2019 and the Navy had instructed the company not to contact the admiral.

“At the meeting, the defendants allegedly agreed that Burke would use his position as a Navy admiral to broker an exclusive contract to Company A in exchange for future employment with the company,” the Justice Department said in a press release. “They also allegedly agreed that Burke would use his official position to persuade other Navy officers to award another contract to Company A to train a large portion of the Navy, the value of which Kim allegedly estimated to be in the ‘hundreds of millions of dollars.'”

In 2021, Burke allegedly awarded the company a $355,000 contract to train personnel in Italy and Spain. The Justice Department alleges Burke attempted to cover up the scheme by making “multiple false and misleading statements to the Navy,” including that he had no role in awarding the contract to the company and that discussions about his employment there began months after the contract was awarded.

According to the Justice Department, Burke began working at the company in October 2022.

Burke was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, engaging in acts detrimental to personal financial interests and concealing material facts from the United States. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison.

NBC News has reached out to an attorney for Burke.

Kim and Messenger have both been charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and corruption, according to the Justice Department. If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in prison. It is currently unclear whether Kim and Messenger are represented by attorneys.

The Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the FBI are investigating the case.