The retired four-star admiral, who once served as the second-highest ranking officer in the Navy, is Convicted of bribery Other conspiracy charges have become the most senior member of the US military, convicted of committing a federal crime in active duty.
Following a five-day trial, the four-star Ad retired. Robert P. Burke, 62, was convicted Monday of a plan to direct training companies to a lucrative contract in exchange for a $500,000 job after leaving the Navy, according to a Justice Department news release.
Burke faces up to 30 years in prison in his role in a scheme that directs contracts worth millions of dollars to a New York City-based company that provided training programs to the Navy.
“If you abuse your position and betray the trust of the people to lay it in your pocket, it undermines your confidence in the government you represent.” US lawyer Janine Ferris Piro I wrote about it in X’s post following the conviction.
“Together with our law enforcement partners, our office will eradicate corruption, whether bribery or illegal contracts, and will be accountable to the perpetrators, regardless of what title or rank they hold,” Piro continued.
Burke, who served as deputy director of naval operations, once NavySecond highest ranking officer.
From 2020 to 2022, Burke was a four-star admiral who oversaw US naval operations in Europe, Russia and most of Africa, ordering thousands of civilians and military personnel, according to court documents, as evidence was proven in the trial.
Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger, the co-CEOS of the company that DOJ didn’t name, are said to have participated in a scheme to obtain a government contract in exchange for providing Burke with a position with the company.
The company provided training programs for small parts Navy’s From 2018 and 2019, before the contract ended.
Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar (R) will receive the commander of Admiral Robert P. Burke’s Joint Forces Command in Istanbul, Turkey on April 20, 2021. (Arif Akdogan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The company was told by the Navy not to contact Burke, but the three met in Washington, D.C. in July 2021, and Burke is said to have used his influence to win a sole source contract and agreed to encourage other naval officers to use the company for a broader training program that Kim estimates to deserve “triple digit million.”
In December 2021, Burke was reportedly making a failed attempt to order staff to award the company a $355,000 contract to train naval personnel under command in Italy and Spain, and to convince senior naval commanders to award another contract.
“There was no relationship between this contract and his employment. Mathematics doesn’t understand that they will give them this relatively small contract for that type of job offer,” Burke’s defense attorney Timothy Palatol previously told Fox News Digital.
Burke is said to have no role in awarding the contract and implied that his argument with Kim and the Messenger did not begin until the contract began.
US Navy Deputy Robert Burke testified at the House Armed Worship Committee hearing at the Rayburn House Office Building in Capitol Hill on March 21, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Both Kim and the Messenger were arrested in May 2024 and charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery, and could face 20 years of prison.
Parlatore told Fox News Digital that they were “clearly disappointed with the verdict,” but “this is the result of the fact that the Juju couldn’t hear the entire story.”
“The investigation was very poorly conducted, and it was carried out by the very same investigators who were completely ruined. Fat Leonard Case” Paraloa said.
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“Because they didn’t do research, you have an incompetent, unethical, corrupt investigator who relies on known liar language to construct this horrifying case. And ultimately, the only way they could bring it to confidence was to present certain evidence to the ju apprentice,” continued Paraloa.
Fox News Digital reached out to DOJ for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Brie Stimson of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, murder, national crime cases, illegal immigration and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
