Retired U.S. Navy admiral charged in bribery scheme with tech CEOs

A retired four-star U.S. Navy admiral, who was once the military branch’s second-highest-ranking officer, was arrested on Friday for a bribery scheme with two tech CEOs, the Department of Justice announced.

From 2020 to 2022, Robert Burke, a 62-year-old resident of Coconut Creek, Fla., allegedly used his high-ranking status in the Navy to help Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger, the co-CEOs of New York-based workplace tech platform Next Jump, win military contracts, according to the DOJ.

In 2021, Burke allegedly told his staff to award Kim and Messenger a $355,000 military contract. In exchange, Kim and Messenger allegedly promised Burke employment at their company in the future.

In 2022, Burke started working as a senior partner at Next Jump with a starting annual salary of $500,000 and 100,000 stock options, the DOJ said.

Burke is facing a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, while Kim and Messenger are each facing 20 years.

Lawyers for Burke, Messenger and Kim did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside business hours.