Revealing disturbing cracks in the system, a retired four-star admiral has been caught with his hand in the corruption cookie jar.
Once the second-highest-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy, Robert Burke was found guilty of orchestrating a corrupt scheme.
He sought to award a Navy contract in exchange for a cushy $500,000-a-year retirement job.
A Washington, D.C. jury convicted Burke on four criminal counts, including bribery, conspiracy to defraud the United States, concealing material facts, and personal enrichment.
He faces up to 30 years in prison when sentenced on August 22, making him the highest-ranking military leader recently convicted for actions during service.
The scheme involved Burke directing a $355,000 Navy contract to a company called Next Jump before his retirement in 2022.
In return, he received a lucrative position with the same company, complete with a $500,000 annual salary and 100,000 stock options.
While serving as Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Burke actively promoted the company’s services while hiding his corrupt arrangements from other Navy officials.
Burke worked with co-conspirators and Next Jump executives Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger to orchestrate the deal.
Evidence presented at trial showed Kim saying, “Burke wants to work for us, but we’re asking for a deal first,” revealing the explicit quid pro quo arrangement at the heart of this case.
While announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said, “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,” she added.
Burke’s attorneys have already announced plans to appeal the verdict. His lawyer, Tim Parlatore, complained that the trial was rushed and that important evidence was withheld from the jury.
“This case demonstrates that when you start with a bad investigation by incompetent investigators, you end up with a case that the only way you can get a conviction is by hiding the evidence from the jury,” Parlatore stated.
The Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), and the FBI investigated the case.
Prosecutors argued that Burke “violated the public trust for his own personal gain.”
This conviction comes as the Navy continues to grapple with other high-profile corruption scandals, most notably the “Fat Leonard” case.
In that sprawling scandal, contractor Leonard Francis bribed numerous naval officers with cash, luxury items, and prostitutes in exchange for classified information and favorable contracts. Francis was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his crimes.
Burke’s conviction raises serious questions about the ethical standards and oversight at the highest levels of the military.
When a four-star admiral feels comfortable enough to arrange kickbacks and lucrative post-retirement deals, Americans wonder how deep such corruption goes within the defense establishment.
For now, Burke awaits sentencing while his legal team prepares an appeal.
