Retired Navy four-star admiral Robert P. Burke arrested for bribery

Burke was arrested along with Yongchul “Charlie” Kim, 50, and Meghan Messenger, 47, the founders of New York-based technology services company Next Jump, prosecutors said.

All three are charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and corruption, which can carry a maximum of 20 years in prison. Burke also faces conduct prejudicial to personal financial interests and concealing material facts, which can carry a maximum of 30 years in prison.

In an interview, Burke’s attorney Tim Parlatore said, “He denies these allegations. We intend to go to trial and we expect he will be found not guilty there,” adding that there was “no connection whatsoever between this contract and this job.”

Although the indictment does not name the company, its description matches that of Next Jump, a New York-based company whose website identifies Kim and Messenger as its founders about 30 years ago and as its current co-CEOs. The company lists the U.S. Navy as a client and announced on social media that Burke joined Next Jump in October 2022, which matches the timing of the allegations in the indictment.

Kim and Messenger could not immediately be reached for comment, and Manhattan court filings did not immediately identify their attorneys. Next Jump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Federal police and military officials said in a statement that the charges were an example of the Defense Department’s determination to “root out the fraud.”

“As alleged in the indictment, Admiral Burke used his public office and four-star status for his private gain,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “The law provides no exceptions for admirals or CEOs. … The urgency is greatest when, as in this case, high-ranking government officials and senior executives are alleged to be involved in corruption.”

Before retiring in 2022, Burke led naval operations in Europe, Russia and most of Africa. A native of Portage, Michigan, Burke served as the 40th vice chief of naval operations, the Navy’s highest-ranking officer, from June 2019 to June 2020. He succeeded retired Adm. William Moran, who was set to take over as the Navy’s highest-ranking officer in August 2019 before unexpectedly retiring, citing his interactions with a subordinate who was accused of inappropriate behavior toward female officers.

Burke’s naval biography states that he was an electrical engineer and submariner by training and served in numerous locations around the world. When the events described in the indictment began, he was Chief of Naval Personnel, responsible for manpower, personnel, education and training.

According to the government, Kim and Messenger were co-CEOs of a company referred to in the indictment only as “Company A” that ran a pilot personnel training program for a small Marine unit from August 2018 to July 2019. Burke supported the program as the Navy’s chief of personnel, but later that year the Navy terminated the company’s contract. and in November an aide to Burke instructed the U.S. Navy not to have any further contact with him because he was in his new role as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations and had “impending contract signings,” the 16-page indictment states.

But Kim and Messenger allegedly met with Burke in Washington in July 2021 to revive the company’s naval business and agreed that Burke would use his position as a four-star admiral to broker an exclusive contract to Company A in exchange for a future job. Federal investigators said Burke also allegedly agreed to persuade other officers to award another contract to Company A to train a large portion of the Navy, a contract Kim estimated to be in the “triple-digit millions.”

According to government investigators, Burke allegedly ordered his employees in December 2021 to award the company a $355,000 contract to train personnel under his command in Italy and Spain. In addition, Burke promoted the company to persuade another senior admiral to give him another contract. He tried unsuccessfully to persuade another senior admiral to give him another contract. Burke allegedly made false statements to the Navy to make it appear he had no role in the contract award and to suggest his interviews for the job did not begin until months after the contract was awarded, federal authorities said.

Burke began working at Company A in October 2022 and received an annual starting salary of $500,000 and 100,000 stock options, the government alleged. That same month, Next Jump announced on Twitter that Burke had become a senior partner at the company. He left the company in early 2023, Parlatore said.

Burke’s lawyer rejected the government’s timeline, saying it was “postponing the job offer” until the July 2021 meeting to meet the timeline for a consideration. “The reality is that no job was accepted at that point. That happened much, much later,” Parlatore said. He added: “Does it really make sense to offer a $500,000 job to get a $350,000 contract?”

Only one U.S. Navy admiral has ever been found guilty of committing a federal crime while on active duty: Rear Admiral Robert Gilbeau was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2017 for lying to federal agents about his role in the worst corruption scandal in Navy history, which also involved disgraced defense contractor Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis.

But the Justice Department’s handling of the Francis investigation has come under fire after defense attorneys claimed prosecutors relied on flawed evidence and withheld information that would have been beneficial to the defense. U.S. prosecutors two weeks ago moved to drop charges against five convicted defendants and said up to two dozen other cases could be affected by an ongoing review of 34 charges, including 29 guilty pleas.

Parlatore said there was no actual connection between Burke’s case and the Leonard investigation, but raised eyebrows at the back-to-back moves related to high-profile Navy scandals, saying, “The timing of indicting a senior admiral after all the ties related to Fat Leonard have completely imploded due to Justice Department misconduct is odd.”