Former second in command of US Navy arrested on bribery charges
CNN
A former vice chief of naval operations was arrested Friday for allegedly steering government contracts towards a company in exchange for a lucrative job offer while commanding US naval forces in Europe and Africa and the Allied Joint Forces Command.
A former vice chief of naval operations was arrested Friday for allegedly steering government contracts towards a company in exchange for a lucrative job offer while commanding US naval forces in Europe and Africa and the Allied Joint Forces Command. Robert Burke, a retired four-star Admiral, and the company’s co-CEOs Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger are facing bribery and conspiracy charges, according to the Justice Department. Burke is also charged with performing acts affecting a personal financial interest and concealing material facts from the United States. If convicted, Burke faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, and Kim and Messenger each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. In a statement to CNN Friday, Rear Adm. Ryan Perry said that the Navy takes the charges “very seriously” and “has fully cooperated with this investigation from the onset.” Timothy Parlatore, who is a CNN legal commentator and is also representing Burke in court, told CNN Friday that Burke contests the prosecutors’ allegations. “We intend to take these charges to trial, and we expect he will be found not guilty,” Parlatore said. CNN was not able to identify a lawyer Kim or Messenger.
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