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Former top US Navy commander jailed in bribery case | Former top US Navy commander jailed in bribery case |
(about 13 hours later) | |
Retired Admiral Robert Burke has been sentenced to six years for awarding a government contract to a firm in exchange for a cushy job | |
Retired US Navy Admiral Robert Burke has been sentenced to six years in prison and slapped with a hefty fine for bribery, federal prosecutors have announced. The 62-year-old was found guilty of awarding a government contract to a company in exchange for future employment at the firm. | Retired US Navy Admiral Robert Burke has been sentenced to six years in prison and slapped with a hefty fine for bribery, federal prosecutors have announced. The 62-year-old was found guilty of awarding a government contract to a company in exchange for future employment at the firm. |
The four-star admiral was once the second-highest uniformed officer in the Navy, commanding its forces in Europe and Africa. In a statement on Tuesday, prosecutors said that in May a jury found Burke guilty of bribery and conspiracy, and several other related crimes. | The four-star admiral was once the second-highest uniformed officer in the Navy, commanding its forces in Europe and Africa. In a statement on Tuesday, prosecutors said that in May a jury found Burke guilty of bribery and conspiracy, and several other related crimes. |
According to the document, the admiral used his position to ensure that the company, identified in the media as Next Jump, was awarded a government contract for providing workforce training to Navy personnel in 2021. A previous multimillion-dollar contract with the company had been terminated two years prior as it had been “poorly received,” prosecutors said. | According to the document, the admiral used his position to ensure that the company, identified in the media as Next Jump, was awarded a government contract for providing workforce training to Navy personnel in 2021. A previous multimillion-dollar contract with the company had been terminated two years prior as it had been “poorly received,” prosecutors said. |
It was revealed that Burke had privately met with Yongchul Kim and Meghan Messenger, the co-CEOs of the firm, who offered to provide the commander with future employment with the company in exchange for his patronage. According to officials, the new $355,000-contract envisaged the provision of “basically the same programming that had failed two years earlier.” | It was revealed that Burke had privately met with Yongchul Kim and Meghan Messenger, the co-CEOs of the firm, who offered to provide the commander with future employment with the company in exchange for his patronage. According to officials, the new $355,000-contract envisaged the provision of “basically the same programming that had failed two years earlier.” |
After his retirement from the Navy in 2022, the admiral started working at Next Jump at a yearly starting salary of $500,000 and a grant of 100,000 in stock options, the statement read. | After his retirement from the Navy in 2022, the admiral started working at Next Jump at a yearly starting salary of $500,000 and a grant of 100,000 in stock options, the statement read. |
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro accused the commander of “turning four stars into dollar signs and trading duty for a corporate payday.” | US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro accused the commander of “turning four stars into dollar signs and trading duty for a corporate payday.” |
The admiral’s attorneys said they would appeal his convictions, describing his conduct as a “tragic deviation from his well-established character at a time of immense professional and personal stress at the twilight of a demanding forty-year career.” | The admiral’s attorneys said they would appeal his convictions, describing his conduct as a “tragic deviation from his well-established character at a time of immense professional and personal stress at the twilight of a demanding forty-year career.” |
They also noted that the $500,000 salary and stock options Next Jump had offered as compensation were “substantially below what a retired four-star admiral could command in the private sector,” implying that the scheme made little sense. | They also noted that the $500,000 salary and stock options Next Jump had offered as compensation were “substantially below what a retired four-star admiral could command in the private sector,” implying that the scheme made little sense. |
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