Retired Navy Admiral Robert Burke was arrested Friday on charges of accepting bribes in exchange for steering government contracts to companies that promised easy jobs, according to the Department of Justice.
Burke served as vice chief of naval operations during the Trump administration, the second-highest ranking Navy official, for several months before being implicated in the bribery allegations.
“As the indictment alleges, Admiral Burke used his public office and four-star status for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves. It said in a statement.
“The law makes no exceptions for admirals or CEOs,” he added. “Those who pay or accept bribes must be held accountable.”
Burke, 62, is accused of using his position as a Navy admiral to accept a $500,000 annual salary and 100,000 stock options from co-conspirators Yong-chol “Charlie” Kim and Megan Messenger in exchange for steering government contracts to a company named in the indictment as “Company A.”
According to the Department of Justice, Kim and Messenger, who are co-CEOs of “Company A,” contacted Admiral Burke multiple times between 2019 and 2022 about the status of their contacts with the government, despite being warned by the Navy not to do so.
Company A provided workforce training to a small Navy unit from August 2018 to July 2019 until its contract with the Navy ended in late 2019.
“Despite instructions from the Navy, Kim and Messenger met with Burke in Washington, D.C. in July 2021 to allegedly attempt to re-establish Company A’s business relationship with the Navy,” according to the Department of Justice.
During this meeting, the three agreed to execute a bribery scheme in which Burke would use his influence with Navy officers to secure a more lucrative contract for Company A before retiring and taking a pre-arranged job with a company headed by Kim and Messenger.
Kim reportedly estimated the value of future contracts at “millions of dollars.”
Burke is accused of directing his subordinates to award a $355,000 contract to Company A to train personnel under his command in Italy and Spain, and of promoting Company A to the rank of senior admiral in the Navy before his retirement.
Ultimately, the company was unable to secure a new contract from the Navy.
“To conceal this scheme, Mr. Burke allegedly made numerous false and misleading statements to the Navy, including falsely creating the impression that Mr. Burke had no involvement in the issuance of the contract and falsely suggesting that employment negotiations between Company A and Mr. Burke began several months after the contract was signed,” the Justice Department said.
Burke, Kim and Messenger were each charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery.
Burke is also charged with engaging in conduct intended to affect a personal economic interest and concealing a material fact from the United States.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
“I think a jury will see through this,” Burke’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, told The Associated Press.
Parlatore said the former admiral maintains his innocence and intends to clear his name at trial.
“This contract has nothing to do with his employment,” he added. “The math just doesn’t make sense for him to take a relatively small contract in response to a job offer like that.”
