Former Navy admiral sent to prison in bribery scandal
San Diego Union-Tribune
SAN DIEGO — The first Navy admiral to ever be charged with a federal crime in connection with his military service was sentenced in San Diego federal court Wednesday to 1½ years in prison for lying about his corrupt friendship with the wealthy namesake contractor at the center of the “Fat Leonard” bribery scandal.
It’s not just his high military rank that makes Robert Gilbeau stand out among the active-duty officers nabbed in the scheme, but his longstanding relationship with Leonard Glenn Francis, nicknamed “Fat Leonard” for his girth.
Prosecutors said the two met in 1997, when Gilbeau served aboard an amphibious assault ship, and Mr. Francis showered Gilbeau and another officer with the gifts of hotel rooms, dinners and prostitutes during a port visit to Bali. The two would carouse in Singapore off-and-on again for the next 15 years as Gilbeau worked his way up the Navy ladder.
U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino said her concern about public corruption in the scandal reached “new heights” due to Gilbeau’s high rank and the “thoughtful, systematic” way he appeared to go about trying to cover up his involvement with Mr. Francis, who has been charged in the case with 19 Navy officers.
“You violated the law and dishonored your shipmates, the Navy and the United States of America,” Judge Sammartino said.
Gilbeau also will serve three years of probation, work 300 hours of community service and pay the Navy $50,000 in restitution as well as a $100,000 fine.
He is among 20 Navy officials charged in the investigation, which until now has focused on criminal conduct dating back to 2004.
Mr. Francis’ stable of compromised Navy men steered contracts to his Singapore-based company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, slipped Mr. Francis insider information on Navy logistics and movements, protected him from scrutiny and allowed him to overcharge the Navy by nearly $39 million, according to prosecutors.
While Gilbeau pleaded guilty to only an obstruction charge, prosecutors said it was important to lay out the details of the relationship.
Gilbeau rekindled his friendship with Mr. Francis in 2003, according to court records. That’s when Gilbeau was a supply officer on the Nimitz aircraft carrier. Mr. Francis’ company by then was a strong presence in Southeast Asia as it provided “husbanding” services — such as water, trash removal, tug boats and security — to visiting ships and submarines.
In back-to-back visits to Singapore in September and October 2003, Gilbeau and another officer enjoyed stays at the Shangri-La Hotel, expensive dinners and sex with prostitutes, prosecutors said. The hotel was a favorite of Mr. Francis.
After the second trip, which concluded with Mr. Francis sending Gilbeau up to a paid hotel room with two Vietnamese hookers, Gilbeau signed off on GDMA invoices that overcharged the Navy for wastewater removal services, prosecutors said. The invoices for those two port visits recorded the highest volume of wastewater removal in the ship’s history, according to a Defense Contract Audit Agency analysis.
In addition to the entertainment, prosecutors point to interview statements and other documents that allege Gilbeau received $40,000 for the invoice approval. Gilbeau has adamantly denied taking cash from Mr. Francis, including in a lie detector test organized by his defense attorney in the past month.
Then Gilbeau learned Mr. Francis was under investigation, and the officer lied on a Foreign Contact Questionnaire and during an interview with Naval Criminal Investigative Service about their relationship, prosecutors said.