'Tarnished all hard work': Former Navy Admiral Robert Burke slammed as he is arrested on bribery charges

WASHINGTON, DC: Robert Burke, a former second-highest ranking officer of the US Navy, was arrested for bribery charges for allegedly agreeing with a company with a government contract offer in exchange for a lucrative job, according to a press release by the Department of Justice.

The retired four-star Navy admiral was arrested on Friday, May 31, over his alleged action conducted while he was commanding US naval forces in Europe and Africa and the Allied Joint Forces Command.

The DOJ press release said Yongchul "Charlie" Kim and Meghan Messenger, the co-CEOs of the company that offered the job, were also arrested. The name of the company was not mentioned.

"The law does not make exceptions for admirals or CEOs. Those who pay and receive bribes must be held accountable," Matthew Graves, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, weighed in on the arrest, as per Fox News.

"The urgency is at its greatest when, as here, senior government officials and senior executives are allegedly involved in the corruption," he added.

Robert Burke allegedly misused his influence to offer governmental contract to company

The Navy had terminated its contact with the company in 2019 and directed them not to contact Burke. However, he allegedly agreed to get them a sole-source contract using his position as a Navy Admiral after the three met in July 2021 in Washington, DC.

In addition, Burke also prompted other Naval officers to use its training program, which, according to Kim, was worth "triple digit millions," and allegedly ordered his staff to award a $355,000 contract to the company in December 2021 for training Navy men under his command in Italy and Spain.

He also misled the Navy that he had no role in the contract in an attempt to cover up the scheme.

After his retirement, Burke started working at the company in October 2022 at a yearly salary of $500,000 and $100,000 stock options.

As per the DOJ, the former second-highest ranking Naval officer could face up to 30 years of imprisonment if convicted on charges of "conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery" and "performing acts affecting a personal financial interest and concealing material facts from the United States." Meanwhile, Kim and Messenger could face up to 20 years in prison.

Internet denounces Robert Burke

Netizens harshly criticized the former admiral of the Navy over his arrest on bribery charges.

One user wrote, "Tarnished all that hard work and a prestigious career smh." Another remarked, "Give him the full sentence and the other two also."

"$237,000 pension wasn’t enough for him? Very sad," a third user added.

A fourth response read, "No pity from this retired sailor. I see him in the same light as I do every officer involved in the Fat Leonard scandal. Every single one of them should be sent to Leavenworth and lose their retirement - if for no other reason than to send a message to the fleet."

"Admiral Burke has disgraced his Country, his Uniform and himself. Good riddance and Death Before Dishonor you filthy Navy disgrace," another person fumed.

Someone else said, "scary thought is that such an incompetent crook made it all the way to 4*." Meanwhile, an individual added, "Shocked. Strip all benefits, bust down to butter ball, and update is DD214 to reflect his crimes."

"The problem with today's high-ranking officers is that they are not ready to go gently into that goodnight, still power hungry and crave being in authority. Should have picked up fishing," another user claimed.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.