Navy Captain Pleads Guilty to Corruption Charges

A US Navy captain is the highest ranking of four Naval officers who have recently pled guilty to charges of bribery stemming from their relationship with a Malaysian contractor known as "Fat Leonard".

The New York Times reports that it is likely more than these four officers will find themselves facing military judges for their interactions with "Fat" Leonard Glenn Francis . Capt. Daniel Duske plead guilty to allowing Francis to overcharge the Navy for goods and services in exchange for meals, trysts with prostitutes, and free trips.

Before pleading guilty to the bribery charges, Capt. Daniel Dusek was the commander of an amphibious assault ship.

While in the command of that ship, Dusek would be sure to dock at facilities owned by Francis' company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, to resupply. Dusek chose to dock at these facilities knowing that the charges he would pay were unnecessarily high.

It is believed that this scheme resulted in overcharges to the US Navy worth around $20 million.

Francis is currently facing criminal charges from the federal government in San Diego. He may choose to cooperate with the authorities and implicate other Navy officials in wrongdoing, widening the scandal.

The scheme between Francis and corrupt Navy officials dates back to at least 2009. Francis was arrested in 2013. The Times notes that two former employees of Glenn Defense Marine Asia have also pleaded guilty to corruption charges. One is a former member of the Navy and both have begun cooperating with authorities. 

Despite evidence of wrongdoing in 2011, the Navy continued to award Francis contracts valued at $200 million. The Times says that Francis was able to secure the contracts by putting in the lowest possible bids. He would then file fake invoices to increase his profits.