Retired four-star Navy Admiral Robert Burke, who served as the second-highest ranking officer in the U.S. Navy until his retirement in 2022, has been arrested on allegations of bribery and conspiracy related to a government contract. Burke, along with two business executives from a company identified only as “Jump Start,” allegedly engaged in a scheme where Burke would use his position to steer a sole-source contract to the company in exchange for future employment.

According to the Department of Justice, Burke met with Jump Start’s co-CEOs, Meghan Messenger and “Charlie” Kim, in July 2021 while he was commanding Naval operations in Europe, Russia, and most of Africa. During this meeting, the defendants allegedly agreed that Burke would influence other Navy officers to award a contract to Jump Start, which Kim estimated to be worth “triple-digit millions.”

Just five months later, Burke allegedly directed his staff to award Jump Start a $355,000 contract to train Naval personnel in Italy and Spain, despite the company having been previously instructed by the Navy to cease all communication with the admiral. Following his retirement, Burke was hired by Jump Start with a $500,000 salary, which the DOJ claims was part of the bribery scheme.

If convicted, Burke faces up to 30 years in federal prison, while Kim and Messenger each face up to 20 years behind bars. The arrest of such a high-ranking Navy official in a bribery scandal has sent shockwaves through the military community and raised questions about the integrity of the Navy’s contracting process.