Retired 4-star admiral Robert Burke convicted in bribery scheme

A jury on Monday convicted a retired four-star admiral who served as the U.S. Navy's second-highest-ranking officer on corruption charges for steering contracts to a company in exchange for a lucrative job. 

Robert Burke ordered staff to award a $355,000 contract to a company, and then began working there at a $500,000-a-year job after his 2022 retirement from the Navy, the Department of Justice said.

He also unsuccessfully attempted to convince a top officer to give the firm a separate contract.

A jury found him guilty of offenses including bribery, performing acts affecting a personal financial interest, and concealment of material facts, court records show. A grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted Burke in May 2024.

Sentencing is set for August, the same month that two co-CEOs of technology services firm Next Jump are to go on trial in a related case, the Washington Post reported.

Monday's verdict makes Burke the most senior officer to be convicted in recent years for crimes committed while serving in the U.S. military.

In the Navy, Burke served as deputy commander of the US 6th Fleet, commander of Submarine Group 8, and 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.

Prosecutors said Burke allegedly secured a government contract for his codefendants Yongchul "Charlie" Kim and Meghan Messenger in exchange for a future job. 

Investigators alleged Burke, Kim and Messenger began communicating about a new contract for the "perks at work" company in 2021, years after the Navy officially cut ties with the corporation. According to court documents, they entered into discussions after Burke and his office had rebuffed the company's initial overtures, citing U.S. Navy policy. 

In April 2021, prosecutors said the trio spoke via WhatsApp. "Burke wants to work for us, but we're asking for a deal first," Kim allegedly said after the call, adding that Messenger "felt slimy," the indictment revealed. 

Weeks later, according to charging documents, Burke asked an unnamed individual to find funding to secure the company a contract from U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa. And in July, he allegedly met with Kim, Messenger, and another unnamed individual for lunch in Washington, D.C, during which time they discussed the admiral ensuring the company received its federal contract. 

"In exchange [they] offered Burke a job at Company A – at a salary of at least $500,000 per year and a grant of 100,000 stock options...to commence after Burke retired from the Navy," prosecutors wrote.

According to federal prosecutors, in August of 2021, the admiral gave notice that he intended to retire in May 2022. 

Prosecutors also charged Burke with allegedly concealing his conduct from Navy officials while promoting the company's work to others. 

"When you abuse your position and betray the public trust to line your own pockets, it undermines the confidence in the government you represent," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement Monday after Burke's conviction. "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 Navy has faced other corruption problems in recent years, with the most notorious scandal involving Leonard Francis — known as "Fat Leonard" — 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 traveling to Venezuela before being returned in a prisoner swap the previous year.

As part of a plea agreement, Francis provided government investigators with detailed information that led to the conviction of a number of high-ranking U.S. Navy officers.