USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) (foreground). File Photo: Creative Commons
By Marty Graham
SAN DIEGO, July 20 (Reuters) – The U.S. Navy censured three admirals in connection with a bribery scandal involving a Singapore company that held more than $200 million in contracts to clean and supply ships from the Seventh Fleet, Navy officials confirmed on Monday.
Admirals Michael Miller and Terry Kraft were allowed to retire as admirals, while Admiral David Pimpo retired on July 1 at the demoted rank of captain, according to a Navy document dated July 17.
The censures were issued in January, but were revealed last week in response to Freedom of Information Act requests from the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper. They are the latest developments in the investigation of Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) and its owner, Leonard Glenn Francis.
Seven people, including Francis, have pleaded guilty so far in the scandal. Francis and two GDMA employees have pleaded guilty, as well as four U.S. Navy officers, ranging from a Navy Criminal Investigative Services agent to a logistics manager, a captain and a ship commander.
Francis is now cooperating with federal investigators, according to court documents.
He has admitted to providing envelopes of cash, high-end electronics, lavish travel and accommodations, and prostitutes for U.S. Navy personnel in exchange for sending him business, information on ship movements, and investigations into his company, as well as other classified materials.
Pimpo was demoted to captain, according to the Navy documents. In 2007, he was the supply officer for the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan. Pimpo admitted to investigators that in 2007 he solicited luxury travel from Francis, and that he paid $50 each for two dinners at Singapore restaurants that should have cost almost $24,000, or about $770 per person.
According to the censure letter, Pimpo also secured free luxury hotel rooms for two weeks in 2007 for “senior carrier Strike Group Seven leadership.”
Miller, then the commander of the Ronald Reagan, attended some of the 2007 dinner parties and then recommended GDMA as a “superior contractor to its competitors” just days later.
Kraft, then the Strike Group commander, also attended dinner parties and afterward opined in a report that GDMA “is the best in the world and is unrivaled in the delivery of customer service.”
In May, federal prosecutors said they are looking at as many as 200 people as potential defendants and witnesses in the prosecution of Commander Michael Vannak Khem Misiewicz, who has pleaded innocent to charges of conspiracy and bribery. (Reporting by Marty Graham; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Lisa Lambert)
A Norwegian shipping company on Friday rejected an accusation from Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, that it refused to rescue sailors from a sinking Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel struck multiple targets in Yemen it said were controlled by Houthis, the last of the Iran-backed groups still fully engaged in the regional war that began 14 months ago.
China said on Monday it had provided information and documents for an open investigation into the severing of two Baltic Sea undersea cables, though it and Sweden disagreed over how transparent Beijing had been in the case.
December 23, 2024
Total Views: 1158
Sign Up Now for gCaptain Daily
We’ve got your daily industry news related to the global maritime and offshore industries.
JOIN OUR CREW
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,196 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.