Retired Admiral Robert P. Burke, the Navy’s former second-highest-ranking officer, was arrested on charges of participating in a bribery scheme while in command of American naval forces in Europe, Russia, and Africa. Burke allegedly steered a government contract to a company in exchange for a high-paying job with stock options. Two executives of the company were also arrested and charged in connection with the scheme. The company provided workforce training programs to the Navy, but the contract was terminated after Navy officials directed them not to have contact with Admiral Burke.
Despite instructions from the Navy, the executives met with Admiral Burke in 2021 and proposed steering a workforce training contract back to their company. They also suggested that Burke use his influence as a senior officer to secure a larger training contract worth potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. In exchange, Burke was offered a job with the company after his retirement from the Navy. He accepted the offer and began working for the company after leaving the Navy in 2022. The charges against Burke include conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, acts affecting a personal financial interest, and concealment of material facts from the United States.
Prosecutors alleged that Burke ordered his staff to award a contract to the company for personnel training under his command in Italy and Spain. After the completion of the training, he tried to convince another admiral to award a larger contract to the company while making false statements to hide his role in promoting the contract. Burke’s lawyer stated that his client plans to contest the charges, denying any quid pro quo arrangement and maintaining that Burke did not engage in serious employment conversations until the appropriate time. Burke believed in the company’s product but the contract was ultimately curtailed due to operational constraints.
A lawyer for Meghan Messenger, one of the executives charged in the case, had no immediate comment. It was unclear who was representing Yongchul Kim, the other executive involved. The Navy spokesman, Rear Admiral Ryan M. Perry, said the Navy had cooperated fully with the investigation and will continue to cooperate with the Department of Justice. Admiral Burke had a long career in the Navy, enlisting in 1982 and rising to become the vice chief of naval operations and then commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa before retiring in 2022. If convicted, Burke could face up to 30 years in prison, while the executives could face up to 20 years each.
