From
left: Rear Adms. Mike Miller, Terry Kraft and David Pimpo.(Image courtesy of
the U.S. Navy)Three rear admirals including the commander of naval forces in
Japan are retiring after the secretary of the Navy censured them for a massive
bribery scandal involving a Singapore-based contractor.
Naval Forces Japan
commander Rear Adm. Terry Kraft and rear admirals Michael Miller and David
Pimpo received censure letters from Secretary Ray Mabus. The letters were
intended to “document their failure of leadership” for the handling of Glenn
Defense Marine Asia between 2006 and 2007.
Glenn Marine and its
owner, Leonard Glenn Francis,
and six others have pleaded guilty as part of the investigation.
Defendants have
admitted giving Francis and his company classified information about ship
movements, including nuclear submarines, in exchange for luxury travel, cash,
and the service of prostitutes.
Last week, a civilian
formerly working for the U.S. Navy as a contracting supervisor in Asia was
arrested for his role in the scandal.
Paul Simpkins, 60, of Haymarket, Virginia, helped
Francis and his company land about $20 million in Navy contracts to supply
ships at ports in Singapore and other countries in Asia, the DOJ said.
In a statement
Tuesday, the Navy said:
"These three officers were found to have improperly accepted gifts from a
prohibited source, two were found to have improperly endorsed a commercial
business, and one engaged in solicitation of gifts and services from a prohibited
source, when they were deployed to the Seventh Fleet area of responsibility
during the 2006-2007 timeframe."
The three admirals
aren't facing criminal charges at this time.
Kraft commanded the
aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. Miller served as carrier strike group
commander and was Kraft’s superior, Stars and Stripes said.
Pimpo was the
carrier’s supply officer at the time. He now heads Naval Supply Systems
Command’s weapons support department.
The admirals’ actions
and overly familiar relationship with Francis “cultivated an unacceptable
ethical climate within the respective commands,” the Navy said.
Vice Adm. Ted Branch
and Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless are still under investigation for their roles with
Glenn Marine. Neither has been charged.