A jury on Monday convicted a retired four-star admiral of the United States Navy on corruption charges for steering contracts to a government vendor in exchange for a lucrative post-retirement job at the company.Robert Burke ordered staff to award a $355,000 contract to the vendor and then began working there at a $500,000-a-year job after his 2022 retirement from the Navy, according to the US Department of Justice.The Florida native also unsuccessfully attempted to convince a fellow top naval officer to give the firm a separate contract.A jury found Burke guilty of offenses such as bribery, performing acts affecting a personal financial interest, and concealment of material facts, court records showed.US District judge Trevor N McFadden will pronounce the sentence on August 22. While the Justice Department withheld the name of the company, it mentioned the surnames of its two co-CEOs as “Kim” and “Messenger.” They are Burke’s co-defendants in the bribery case.The verdict by a federal jury, following a five-day trial, makes Burke the senior-most officer to be convicted in recent times for crimes committed while serving in the United States military.“When you abuse your position and betray the public trust to line your own pockets, it undermines the confidence in the government you represent. Our office, with our law enforcement partners, will root out corruption – be it bribes or illegal contracts – and hold accountable the perpetrators, no matter what title or rank they hold,” the office of Jeanine Ferris Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, posted on X.Burke served as deputy commander of the US Navy’s 6th Fleet, commander of Submarine Group 8. He was also the chief of naval personnel, a position he held at the same time as when he was vice chief of naval operations, the service’s second-highest position.The Navy has faced other corruption problems in recent years, with the most notorious scandal involving Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis, who handed out more than $500,000 in cash bribes and provided prostitutes, first-class travel, luxury hotel stays and lavish meals to naval officers.Francis was sentenced to 15 years in prison in November 2024, after fleeing house arrest and travelling to Venezuela after being returned in a prisoner swap the previous year.As part of a plea agreement, Francis provided government investigators with detailed information which resulted in the conviction of a number of high-ranking US Navy officers.(With AFP inputs)
