Third officer charged in US navy corruption case
Officer accepted prostitutes and bribes in scam centred on manoeuvring US warships around Asia to maximise profits, prosecutors claim
A third US Navy officer has been charged with accepting bribes and prostitutes as part of a widening corruption scandal involving a prominent Malaysian businessman accused of directing the movements of US warships around Asia to his advantage.
US Navy commander Jose Luis Sanchez was arrested in Tampa, Florida. He is accused in a criminal complaint of accepting prostitutes, US$100,000 cash and other bribes from Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian CEO of Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd., or GDMA.
Prosecutors say that, in exchange, Sanchez passed on classified US Navy information to a contractor known as "Fat Leonard", whose company had serviced Navy ships in the Pacific for 25 years and is accused of charging the Pentagon by millions of US dollars.
Wednesday's arrest marks the latest development in the case which is rocking the Navy.
Francis and his co-accused moved US Navy vessels around Asia like chess pieces, diverting aircraft carriers, destroyers and other ships to ports with lax oversight where Francis could inflate costs, the criminal complaint alleges.
Officials were willing to sacrifice their integrity and … taxpayer dollars
The accusations signal serious national security breaches and corruption and has set off high-level meetings at the Pentagon with the threat that more people, including those of higher ranks, could be swept up as the investigation continues.