Retired 4-star Adm. Robert Burke was convicted on four criminal counts, including bribery, by a jury in Washington D.C., Military.com reported on Tuesday.
Last May, Burke was arrested on federal charges that he helped an executive training company secure a lucrative contract with the government after which he was then given a $500,000 annual salary at the firm. In 2021, Burke helped Next Jump secure a $10 million contract while he was still serving in his official capacity.
When he retired in 2022, he was the second-highest ranked officer in the Navy, having served as vice chief of naval operations and then commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa.
Burke was ultimately convicted of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., bribery, concealing material facts, and personally enriching himself. Federal prosecutors said last week during the trial, "The defendant violated the public trust for his own personal gain. You also know why: a contract for a job."
Tim Parlatore, Burke's attorney, told the outlet the government cherry-picked evidence to paint an incomplete picture of his client's story, noting that the trial was originally supposed to run for three weeks but concluded in five days. "This case demonstrates that when you start with a bad investigation by incompetent investigators, you end up with a case that the only way you can get a conviction is by hiding the evidence from the jury," he said.
Burke's former girlfriend served as the key witness for the prosecution and was described as "a top civilian official working in the Office of the Under Secretary of the Navy." Known as "Witness #1" in court documents, Parlatore said regarding Burke's former girlfriend, "This entire case rests on the credibility of Witness 1, a known liar and perjurer," and "the search warrants issued in this investigation relied almost entirely on Witness 1's statements to investigators."
Parlatore says he plans to appeal the verdict.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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