US Navy Officials Charged in Bribery Scheme Involving Classified Information.

From ABC News

-Nine high-ranking U.S. Navy officers, including one former admiral, have been charged with trading classified information in exchange for travel, dinner and prostitution services from a foreign defense contractor — the latest charges in the widening probe, according to the Justice Department.

According to the Justice Department, the Navy officials allegedly took in expensive travel and entertainment expenses as well as prostitution services while steering contracts toward the company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA), and blocking its competitors.

They allegedly used fake names and foreign email address to keep their actions secret.

 

-The officials were arrested this morning across the country — in California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado and Virginia — and will be tried in federal court in San Diego, California.

A total of 25 people have now been charged in the corruption and fraud scheme, including 20 current or former Navy officials and five from GDMA, a Singapore-based foreign defense contractor formerly run by Leonard Francis. Half of the 25 have pleaded guilty so far.

Full article here:

abcnews.go .com/Politics/top-navy-officials-charged-staggering-bribery-scheme-involving/story?id=46131200

A little bit of insight on the story by an anonymous forum poster:

Ok, so I was enlisted under one of these guys while I was in the Navy. This doesn’t surprise me at all. In every port we went to it was the same logistics company and same people working the liberty boats and dockside services.

But, what was really noticeable was the amount of difference between the high-ranking officers and the enlisted, especially the junior enlisted.

You’ve gotta realize, all the money these guys spent and everything they sold was local to them. Especially travel plans, troop movements, and ship specifications. That’s especially scary as one of these guys was in charge of a nuclear aircraft carrier (CVN-73) and all the accompanying accoutrements. The money they gave these guys came from their budgets and had to come out from somewhere else. I don’t know where, but if I had to put money on it I would say food budgets and MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) budgets. But that’s just a guess.

Nobody liked the guy I worked under. I mean, nobody who wasn’t in on something. The higher-ups liked what they got away with and could do but all the junior personal has a pretty shitty life.

I’m really glad to see these guys get taken down. It’s very rewarding to see that there’s some retribution for the BS we all went through.