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A former US navy commander has pleaded responsible to receiving money and prostitution companies from a international contractor in trade for state secrets and techniques.
Commander Stephen Shedd, 48, pleaded responsible to 2 bribery fees at a court docket in San Diego on Wednesday, reported the LA Instances.
The crime is part of what is called the “Fats Leonard” case, named after influential Malaysian defence contractor Leonard Glenn Francis, who allegedly bribes senior admirals with prostitution companies, Girl Gaga concert events and tickets to look at The Lion King.
Mr Francis, who based Singapore-based Glenn Defence Marine Asia (GDMA), was arrested in 2013 in California.
Mr Shedd mentioned together with eight different Navy members he had “acquired greater than $250,000 [£186,408] in meals, leisure, journey and resort bills, presents, money and the companies of prostitutes” from GDMA.
The corporate offered husbanding companies to ships within the US seventh fleet for years, in line with the Justice Division.
The fleet is answerable for US navy ships and subordinate instructions that function within the western Pacific all through Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, Australia, Russia and the Indian Ocean territories, together with ships and personnel from different US navy fleets that enter the seventh fleet’s space of accountability.
Mr Francis had pleaded responsible to bribery and conspiracy fees in 2015 and has remained in jail and residential detention since then. The sentencing in his case is awaited.
Mr Shedd, who was indicted in March 2017 together with the eight different navy members by a federal grand jury, is the third particular person to plead responsible forward of the trial within the case.
Between 2006 to 2008, Mr Shedd served because the fleet’s South Asia coverage and planning officer.
He was answerable for figuring out ports that Navy ships would go to.
Mr Shedd admitted that together with different defendants within the case, he had given out schedules of naval actions and lobbied on behalf of GDMA to different naval officers, reported the BBC.
The Justice Division mentioned the defendant knew these efforts would end result within the service paying GDMA’s claims.
Prosecutors mentioned that on the premise of knowledge offered by Mr Shedd and others, GDMA was in a position to win and keep contracts and overbill the navy by $35m (£26.1m) for companies together with offering tugboats, safety and waste elimination to ships at port.
Mr Shedd’s indictment had mentioned that he was additionally one of many attendees of a $50,000 “raging multi-day get together, with a rotating carousel of prostitutes, throughout which the conspirators drank the entire Dom Perignon accessible on the Shangri-La” in Manila, Philippines, in 2008.
“The defendant has admitted he was one of many many whose allegiance was switched from the Navy to Leonard Francis,” US lawyer Randy Grossman was quoted as saying in a Justice Division launch on Wednesday.
“This abdication of the defendant’s duties to the Navy and the US comes with heavy penalties.”
US Naval Legal Investigative Service (NCIS) director Omar Lopez mentioned: “Cmdr Shedd abused his high-level place within the Navy by illegally accepting lavish presents from Mr Francis in trade for offering Mr Francis categorised ship schedules itemizing quite a few ships, particular ports, and dates for the visits far upfront of ship visits.”
A California federal court docket is scheduled to condemn Mr Shedd on 21 July.
The trial for the remaining six naval officers from 7th fleet is ready to start on 28 February.
Twenty eight of the full 34 naval officers, defence contractors and GDMA staff have pleaded responsible within the case together with two different 7th fleet officers.
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