Admiral Robert P. Burke, a retired four-star admiral of the U.S. Navy, was sentenced to six years in federal prison for his role in a bribery scheme involving the awarding of a government contract in exchange for future employment at a vendor company. The sentencing took place in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., where Judge Trevor N. McFadden also ordered Burke to serve three years of supervised release, pay $322,850 in restitution, and forfeit $86,748.08.
A federal jury convicted Burke on May 19 of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, performing acts affecting a personal financial interest, and concealing material facts from the United States after a five-day trial.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced the sentence alongside officials from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and FBI Washington Field Office.
“Integrity — not cash — is the currency of public service. Admiral Burke rose to the pinnacle of the U.S. Navy, entrusted with leadership and honor. But instead of leading by example, he cashed in that trust — turning four stars into dollar signs and trading duty for a corporate payday,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message: if you sell your honor and trade your influence, you’ll pay the price — in prison time.”
Special Agent in Charge Stanley A. Newell of DCIS stated: “No individual, regardless of rank or prior service, is above the law... The actions uncovered in this investigation represent a serious breach of the public trust and dishonor the values of integrity and accountability that military service demands. DCIS remains committed to ensuring that corruption of this nature is met with consequences.”
Greg Gross from NCIS added: “Any individual involved in corrupting Department of the Navy acquisitions will be held accountable, regardless of rank or position... NCIS remains steadfast in bringing those to justice who commit crimes that erode public trust in the Department of the Navy’s procurement process.”
Reid Davis from FBI’s Washington Field Office commented: "When Burke awarded a contract to Kim and Messenger's company in exchange for future employment, he put himself ahead of thousands of civilian and military personnel serving under his command... As today's sentencing demonstrates, the FBI remains committed to bringing government officials — even four-star admirals — to justice when they abuse their positions of power for personal gain."
Court documents showed that between 2020 and 2022 Burke oversaw naval operations across Europe, Russia, most parts of Africa and commanded thousands within his ranks.
Burke’s co-defendants were Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger—co-CEOs at Company A—which previously provided workforce training services under an earlier contract terminated by the Navy in late 2019 after which Company A was instructed not to contact Burke about further contracting actions.
Despite these instructions, Kim and Messenger met with Burke again in July 2021 seeking renewed business ties with the Navy; during this meeting it was agreed that Burke would use his official position as Admiral to steer contracts toward Company A for promised future employment there—including influencing other officers regarding another potential large-scale contract estimated by one co-defendant as being worth hundreds of millions.
In December 2021 Burke directed staff to award Company A a $355,000 contract for training personnel stationed abroad; Company A delivered training services shortly thereafter but did not secure additional contracts despite promotion efforts by Burke among senior officers.
To hide these arrangements from authorities Burke made false statements regarding when discussions began with Company A about employment opportunities—misleading both superiors within Navy ethics reviews as well as omitting relevant details on required disclosure forms.
By October 2022 he began working at Company A on an annual salary starting at $500,000 plus stock options.
The case was investigated by DCIS, NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office https://www.ncis.navy.mil/Pages/public/default.aspx , and FBI Washington Field Office https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/washingtondc . Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca G. Ross along with Trial Attorneys Trevor Wilmot and Kathryn Fifield; Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein led investigation efforts.
