Navy Four Star Busted, Faces 30 Years
Former Vice CNO Robert Burke
Retired Navy four-star admiral arrested in bribery scheme
By Geoff Ziezulewicz
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
A former Navy vice chief of naval operations faces up to 30 years in prison after he was arrested Friday along with two business executives on criminal charges involving a U.S. government contract bribery scheme while in uniform, according to the Justice Department.
An indictment unsealed Friday alleges that retired Adm. Robert Burke, 62, took part in the scheme from 2020 to 2022, while serving as commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa from 2020 until his retirement in 2022.
The alleged crimes also involve Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger, both of New York, who are the CEOs of a company referred to only as “Company A” in the Justice Department’s indictment announcement.
Burke’s civilian defense attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told Navy Times that Burke “vigorously contests these charges,” and that there was “no quid pro quo.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Burke, Kim and Messenger are each charged with bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery, while Burke faces additional charges of performing acts of a personal financial interest and concealing material facts from the United States.According to the Justice Department, the alleged crimes started when Company A provided a training pilot program to “a small component” of the Navy from August 2018 to July 2019.
The Navy terminated a contract with that company in late 2019 “and directed Company A not to contact Burke,” according to the Justice Department.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But Kim and Messenger allegedly went on to meet with Burke in Washington, D.C., in July 2021, part an alleged effort to reestablish the company’s ties to the Navy.“At the meeting, the charged defendants allegedly agreed that Burke would use his position as a Navy Admiral to steer a sole-source contract to Company A in exchange for future employment at the company,” the Justice Department said. “They allegedly further agreed that Burke would use his official position to influence other Navy officers to award another contract to Company A to train a large portion of the Navy.”
Kim allegedly estimated that that contract would be worth “triple digit millions,” according to the Justice Department.
Burke allegedly ordered his staff in December 2021 to award a $355,000 contract to the company to train personnel under his command in Spain and Italy, according to the Justice Department, and Company A carried out the training in January 2022.
Burke allegedly tried to convince a fellow “senior Navy Admiral” to award another contract to the company.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few months later, in October 2022, Burke went to work for Company A “at a yearly starting salary of $500,000 and a grant of 100,000 stock options,” according to the Justice Department.
Perfumed Prince crashes and burns. We’ll be following this one.
Category: Big Navy, Crime, Schadenfreude
Just from the sound of his employment, he failed to read and follow all the stuff about improper influence and fiduciary responsibilities.
What an idiot. He should had given the “Big Guy” his 10% cut, and funneled the money through Hunter Biden. He could use a myriad of shell companies and then wash it through a few more bank accounts. Kick-up a few bucks to a few (D)iffernt politicos then he’d be “sitting on a beach somewhere earning 20%”
Poor guy. He musta skipped class the day that economics wuz taught. Well, soon he’ll have more time to advance his studies.
Gee whiz, did he just do as he pleased and have someone pencil-whip his Ethics Training for him?
It’s so easy to do the right thing. At least the only thing I had to worry about getting me fired while in the USMC was my mouth.
Right there with you. While on Recruiting Duty, had the SNCOIC threaten to charge Hack Stone with disrespect, allegedly while he was “interviewing a possible female enlistee”. Hack Stone told him to go ahead and charge, because Hack was more than confident that the Major would be interested in why the Gunnery Sergeant was spending so much time with a 15 year old girl who would not be eligible to enlist, with Parental Consent, for another two years. No soup for him! Thanks to Al Gore’s Amazing Internet, Hack Stone was able to see what the former Gunny has been up to. Love that mug shot for his arrest for violating a restraining order.
At least in the USAF, recruiting supervisors were sociopathic homicidal used car salesmen.
This particular PWE (Penis With Ears) at one time was a waterbed salesman. Be sure to opt for the rustproof undercoating.
No soup, but did he get a Big Chicken Dinner?
No soup or chicken dinner. The dudes going on a bread and water diet for the next 20 years.
No, but the Colonel who commanded the Recruiting District did an unannounced visit to his office, spoke to the Recruiters on production, and when the asshole finally showed up in the office, the Colonel told him to pack his shit, he was immediately relieved and separated from the Marine Corps. No retirement for him, but his Missing Linked In profile claims that he is a retired Marine. He must have misspelled retarded.
Somewhere Phil Monkress weeps….
As usual, you beat Hack to the punch.
I watched one of the videos from that NextJump company. Anyone claiming you can get 10x more productivity out of the top 4%, already highly productive people in an organization is smoking something. That’s the kind of hand-wavy bullshit that consultants and HR folks eat up, but anyone in the real world scoffs at.
The admiral got himself a high-powered attorney, though – Parlatore was previously on Trump’s team.
High dollar, rather.
“training”
That could mean just about anything you can put a price on.
Diversity Equity and Inclusion?
He must have really pissed someone off. This shit has been going on forever and they never do anything about it.
That he hooked up with a pair of grifters instead of even a second-tier defense contractor like a BAE or CACI speaks volumes.
I tried SAM for work at one point in my career. But, I don’t sleep around. I was never called again for a bid on a project. It’s tough to have standards.
What would have been the retirement pension for a 4 Star? The operative words being “would have”.
If one is going to do stupid sh*t, one must FIRST make sure that one doesn’t get caught.
Dumbass
Retirement for O-10s is over $16k a month. Considering a 30+ year career, he’s likely gotten a substantial VA rating too, so I’d say he was looking at about $250k annually, before any post-military employment.
250K for sitting on his porch, relaxing, telling the neighbor kids to stay off his lawn.
250K is some nice walking around money if he did decide to re enter the work force.
IIRC, no general or admiral in American history has ever been dismissed from service or sent to a military prison. This will most likely get pleaded down to a slap on the wrist. A little prison time, and a fine. He will be a felon & will have to report to a parole officer. He will almost certainly be subjected to an Officer Grade Determination Board to judge what grade he last satisfactorily served. Keeping his 0-10 level pension could be very iffy. Heck, maybe he skates.
Convicted felon David Petraeus went balls deep on Paula Broadwell & provided sensitive documents to her, but the SecDef, the Army & the Senate declined to take any action to strip him of his 4-star rank.
Hannibal Smith did.
But wait, he was COL.
My bad.
He must be a Conservative if they are going after him. He should put DEM. in front of his name and he won’t be touched.
Should have had it’s preferred pronouns on the email.
There is another possible reason they are going after him…
He might be a criminal.
You were born without the sarcasm gene, weren’t you.
He needs to update his Sarcasm Recognition Software. Fortunately, we just so happen to be running a sale this week. Buy one Sarcasm Recognition Software License, and get a free Red Hat. Your choice of it reading “Free Mustache Rides” or “Make TAH Deplorable Again”. Be sure to use the Promo Code “Spandex” for a 13% discount.
Funny how leftism and lack of humor seem to go together.
“do you mean, “Scrub? With bleach?” “
Except it wasn’t sarcasm. He was merely being snarky.
Sarcasm is when you say something but really mean the opposite in order ridicule, mock, or snow contempt.
In this case he was just regurgitating bullshit right wing talking points about the DoJ going after conservatives.
And he really does believe conservatives are being selectively prosecuted while leftist crimes are ignored.
Many of you do. Because your media sources tell you to believe it.
Yeah, Conservatives are not being unfairly prosecuted by Joe Biden’s Department of Justice. Just ask the Pro Life Demonstrator who had an FBI SWAT Team do an early morning raid on his home for pushing an abortion “employee” who was harassing his son.
So you don’t have the snark gene either. Good to know.
Nor the snark/sarc emoji/symbol.
But he is trying. A couple days ago, he was collecting green thumbs up,
“Your media sources tell you to believe it”!!!!!
Yeah, that happens on the Right!!! Not the left!!!!
BTW, that’s sarcastic. Because we all know which side runs the majority of the media and the press, and who wants people to believe what they say, not what’s true.
They aren’t right wing. They are mine. Stevens, McDonell and Grietens weren’t framed all by the FBI on accident.
Fact check that jackass.
He needed to do something to supplement his income if he missed out on the Fat Leonard Cash Grab.
Fat Leonard may have been the rat bastard that sold out the Admiral. Gotta eliminate the competition.
Curious as to who narced?
Someone probably ran their mouth to some sketchy drunk chick in a bar they met through bangme.com. Or sketchy drunk guy. Or sketchy drunk guy that identifies as a chick. I can’t keep up anymore.
Loose lips lead to pink slips. Does Phil Monkress make his employees sign Non Disclosure Agreements regarding why the All Points Logistics wiped any reference to Phil being a Navy SEAL from the company website?
Paul-mer (of the ballsack) Wickre would know…..
Today’s Navy. The potential line-up far exceeds The Village People.
Obligatory:
“Company A” seems to be Next Jump, “a privately-held technology and services company that provides employee engagement and rewards programs to large corporations……On May 31, 2024, co-CEOs[1] Charlie Kim and Meghan Messenger were arrested….”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Jump
Took me less than a minute to find the connection, which led me to the Wikipedia entry.
Let’s hear it for those ace investigative journalists at Navy Times, and the oh-so-discrete Justice Dept. officials.
For the terminally curious, a bit more detail;
https://nextjump.com/leadership/
Patience, Grasshoppers.
Give it time, the Navy will do what the Navy does and they’ll withhold some exculpatory information, taint some evidence, violate some rights, or maybe even go full FBI and the prosecutor will be arrested for beating his wife after a gangbang gone wrong.
And our man here will walk out a free man.
Well, SMOOTH MOVE Ex-Lax, was it really worth it?
Speaking of Officers and Oops…..
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ceremony-elite-army-sof-school-174338427.html
Mike
USAF Retired
Bad ass!
Bet that was awkward.
I managed to serve 35 years without becoming a criminal, accepting bribes, committing fraud, etc. it’s actually pretty easy. How many times did this guy preside over UCMJ, deny appeals, etc. Hammer this dud.
Innocent until proven guilty, and he deserves that benefit of the doubt as much as you or I.
Still, I see your point.
Will those who he presided over be allowed to have their cases reheard or convictions overturned? You know, since he as a judge wound up being just as,, if not more crooked than the crooks?
I thought that the max was 30 years?
I did five E and 30 O.
Burke.
In the Cockney vernacular.
I guess he’s now Ensign Burke. 🤷🏻
Inmate Burke, or at least Cadet/Midshipman Burke, I hope, assuming he’s actually guilty.
If legitimately innocent and he doesn’t commit suicide via two shots behind the ear, then I hope the stigma of this charge fades as quickly as it arose.
I would call him ensign broke.
One of ours who could use some woodchipper rehabilitation
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/canadian-navy-sailor-jailed-for-violent-sexual-assault-on-b-c-military-base-1.6906823
And another fine example of leadership
https://www.yahoo.com/news/command-senior-chief-convicted-unauthorized-165808614.html