Fourth officer charged in US Navy bribery scandal

[Lite Beer]

Fourth officer charged in US Navy bribery scandal

A fourth US Navy officer has been charged with leaking information to a foreign defense contractor in exchange for cash and other gifts in a widening bribery scandal, officials said Thursday.

Petty Officer First Class Dan Layug, 27, was arrested Wednesday in San Diego and appeared in court Thursday, when a judge released him with GPS monitoring in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

He is accused of accepting bribes in return for giving classified and sensitive US Navy information to employees of Glenn Defense Marine Asia, a defense contractor at the center of the scandal.

Layug allegedly used his position at a US Navy facility in Yokosuka, Japan, to gain access to US Navy ship schedules and other information, which he provided toGDMA's vice president of global operations.

In exchange, GDMA gave Layug monthly cash payments of $1,000 as well as electronic gadgets from a list the officer requested, including an iPad, a high-end camera, an iPhone 5, a Samsung S4 cell phone and an iPad mini.

"The camera is awesome bro! Thanks a lot! Been a while since I had a new gadget!" he allegedly wrote in an email to his GDMA contact after sending his "bucket list" of desired gadgets.

The new charges were revealed in a criminal complaint unsealed by prosecutors in San Diego on Thursday.

Last month, Singapore businessman Alex Wisidagama pleaded guilty to defrauding the United States as part of the bribery scandal involving contracting services for US Navy ships.

The 38-year-old admitted to submitting fake invoices to overcharge the US Navy for fuel, port tariffs and other services.

He was the second person to plead guilty in the case that has rocked the US Navy and ensnared several officers, fueling concerns about a possible ethics crisis in the military's senior ranks.

In December, former Naval Criminal Investigative Service special agent John Beliveau admitted providing the ship supply company with sensitive information in return for cash, hotel rooms and prostitutes.

Wisidagama is due to be sentenced on June 13. His cousin Leonard Francis, who owns the ship supply firm GDMA, is a key player in the case.

According to prosecutors, officers dubbed Francis "Fat Leonard" for his girth and his penchant for allegedly showering favors on sailors in return for preferential treatment for his firm.

In 2009 two US warships visited Laem Chabang near Bangkok, four came to Phuket, one went to Port Klang in Malaysia and none to Sepangar, also in Malaysia.

-- Phuket News 2014-04-20

[Maroon Watcher]

... soon to be a movie - great locations, but the local "taxes" will be high?

[rickirs]

Basic pay for an entry-level Petty Officer First Class with no years of experience is $2,281.20 per month. Although a Petty Officer First Class' final pay package could double with multiple types of allowances and bous pay, the $1,000 per month payments from GDMA still provides a significant pay supplement.

But this officer's problems may just begin. The GDMA income is federal taxable income and if he hasn't been reporting it to the IRS, he will not only owe back taxes but also penalties and interest on the income. And being a federal employee, it won't be difficult for the IRS to garnish his wages for payment.

[ggt]

I thought the Thai Navy personnel were immune to prosecution and negative press releases...when will the lawsuit against his accusers begin?

[Stan7444]

When I lived in Phuket heard about this going on several years ago and they are just now prosecuting a case.

[ChoakMyDee]

A Petty Officer isn't an "officer". He doesn't have a commission. Why don't people who write articles do a bit of homework before they submit them?

[ClutchClark]

I thought the Thai Navy personnel were immune to prosecution and negative press releases...when will the lawsuit against his accusers begin?

Do you just read headlines and then respond?

There were six references to US and two references to San Diego in the brief article.

These are American Sailors and US Warships.

[squarethecircle]

"In 2009 two US warships visited Laem Chabang near Bangkok, four came to Phuket, one went to Port Klang in Malaysia and none to Sepangar, also in Malaysia."

So no US warships went to Sepangar in 2009. What does that have to do with the story?

[smotherb]

I thought the Thai Navy personnel were immune to prosecution and negative press releases...when will the lawsuit against his accusers begin?

Do you just read headlines and then respond?

There were six references to US and two references to San Diego in the brief article.

These are American Sailors and US Warships.

Don't be so picky. There'd be far too few comments on all TV forums if posters had to pay attention to the forum.