The former commander of the United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Force Command Naples now faces charges for allegedly taking bribes during his time as the chief of NAVEUR-NAVAF. Robert Peter Burke, who also served as the 58th Chief of Naval Personnel and Vice Chief of Naval Operations, was previously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and various other camping and unit awards.
The former four-star admiral and two business executives were arrested on Friday for their role in a bribery scheme that involved a U.S. government contract. Though the company wasn’t disclosed in the court papers, the Department of Justice named the individuals as Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger, the co-CEOs of Next Jump, a privately-held technology and services company headquartered in New York City, with offices in Boston, San Francisco, and London.
The company provided a workforce training pilot program to the United States Navy from August 2018 until July 2019, and after the sea service terminated the contract, it directed the company not to contact Burke. However, the DOJ alleges that in July 2021, Kim and Messenger met with Burke in Washington, D.C., and reestablished a business relationship with the U.S. Navy.
Burke allegedly agreed to use his position to steer a sole-source contract to the company in exchange for future employment, and he further used his official position to influence other U.S. Navy officers to award another contract to the company. The value of that contract was estimated to be “triple digital millions.”
Burke conditionally retired from the U.S. Navy on July 31, 2022, and senior officers will often request a conditional release if administrative matters are pending, The Associated Press reported.
A Deep Conspiracy
According to the DOJ statement, “In December 2021, Burke allegedly ordered his staff to award a $355,000 contract to Company A to train personnel under Burke’s command in Italy and Spain. Company A performed the training in January 2022. Thereafter, Burke allegedly promoted Company A in a failed effort to convince a senior Navy Admiral to award another contract to Company A. To conceal the scheme, Burke allegedly made several false and misleading statements to the Navy, including by creating the false appearance that Burke played no role in issuing the contract and falsely implying that Company A’s employment discussions with Burke only began months after the contract was awarded.”
In October 2022, Burke went to work for Next Jump, reportedly receiving an annual starting salary of $500,000 while he also received a grant of 100,000 stock options. All three men are now charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, while Burke is further charged with performing acts affecting a personal financial interest and concealing material facts from the United States.
“The law does not make exceptions for admirals or CEOs. Those who pay and receive bribes must be held accountable,” Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a statement to the media. “The urgency is at its greatest when, as here, senior government officials and senior executives are allegedly involved in the corruption.”
If convicted Kim and Messenger could face a maximum of 20 years in prison, while Burke faces a maximum penalty of 30 years.
Recent Bribery Case Dismissed
Burke’s arrest came just weeks after a federal judge dismissed the conviction of five retired military officers who admitted accepting bribes from a Malaysian contractor.
Retired U.S. Navy officers Donald Hornbeck, Robert Gorsuch, and Jose Luis Sanchez, and U.S. Marine Corps Col. Enrico DeGuzman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disclosing information to contractor Leonard Francis (aka “Fat Leonard”), who owned and operated the Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. that supplied food, water, and fuel to U.S. Navy vessels.
However, the dismissals came at the request of the U.S. government, which cited prosecutorial errors. Prosecutors said in legal filings outlining their request for Tuesday’s dismissals that the action does not mean the defendants did not commit the charged crimes, however, due to the fact that information was withheld from the defense and other mistakes were made, the decision was made to ensure justice was served fairly.
