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Press Release

Former U.S. Navy Commander Sentenced for Bribery Conspiracy with Foreign Defense Contractor in Massive U.S. Navy Corruption and Fraud Case

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 19, 2018

SAN DIEGO – Former U.S. Navy Commander Troy Amundson was sentenced today to 30 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, a $10,000 fine and $21,625.60 in restitution for federal bribery conspiracy charges by the Honorable Janis L. Sammartino of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.  Amundson is the latest U.S. Navy official to plead guilty and be sentenced in the wide-ranging corruption and fraud investigation involving foreign defense contractor Leonard Glenn Francis and his Singapore-based company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA).

Amundson, 50, of Ramsey, MN earlier this year pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, admitting that he conspired with Francis and others to receive things of value, including entertainment expenses and the services of prostitutes, in exchange for taking official acts for the benefit of GDMA and violating his official duties to the United States Navy. Francis pleaded guilty in 2015 to bribery and fraud charges, admitting that he presided over a massive, decade-long conspiracy involving “scores” of U.S. Navy officials, tens of millions of dollars in fraud and millions of dollars in bribes and gifts – from cash, prostitutes and luxury travel to Cuban cigars, Kobe beef and Spanish suckling pigs.

According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, from May 2005 to May 2013, Amundson served as the officer responsible for coordinating the U.S. Navy’s joint military exercises with its foreign navy counterparts.  As part of his duties, Amundson was responsible for building and maintaining cooperative relationships with the U.S. Navy’s foreign navy exercise partners.

Amundson admitted that from September 2012 through October 2013, Francis paid for dinner, drinks, transportation, other entertainment expenses, and the services of prostitutes for Amundson and other U.S. Navy officers.  In one instance, Amundson wrote to Francis from a private e-mail account, arranging to provide Francis with internal, proprietary U.S. Navy information:  “Handoff?... [M]y [friend], your program is awesome.  I [Amundson] am a small dog just trying to get a bone… however I am very happy with my small program.  I still need 5 minutes to pass some data when we can meet up.  Cannot print.”  That night, Francis arranged the services of several prostitutes from Mongolia for Amundson. 

Having passed U.S. Navy ship schedules to Francis and having taken numerous other actions in favor of GDMA and in violation of his official duties, Amundson was interviewed by federal criminal investigators in October 2013.  As part of his plea agreement, Amundson admitted that he deleted all of his private e-mail account correspondence with Francis following his interview with law enforcement agents earlier that same day.  As the United States submitted in its Memorandum in Support of Sentencing, “Amundson destroyed evidence of his conspiratorial relationship with Francis after it appeared law enforcement had caught up with him.  In this attempt to cover-up and to destroy evidence, Amundson knew then what he would admit to years later in his plea agreement in this case:  He actively conspired to commit bribery with Francis and GDMA in violation of the law and in abrogation of his official duties to the U.S. Navy.”

“Amundson cavalierly and selfishly traded on a sacred position of trust, selling his honor to a foreign defense contractor in exchange for prostitutes and entertainment expenses,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman.  “We will vigorously enforce the law when a public official puts his own selfish personal interests ahead of the interests of the Navy and our nation.”

So far, 33 defendants have been charged and 21 have pleaded guilty, many admitting they accepted luxury travel, parties and services of prostitutes from Francis in exchange for helping the contractor win and maintain contracts and overbill the Navy by millions of dollars.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark W. Pletcher and Patrick Hovakimian of the Southern District of California and Assistant Chief Brian R. Young of the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.                 

DEFENDANT                                                            Case Number: 18-CR-468-JLS                                   

Commander Troy Amundson                                     Age: 51          Ramsey, Minnesota

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Commit Bribery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371

Maximum Penalty: 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Defense Criminal Investigative Service

Naval Criminal Investigative Service

Defense Contract Audit Agency

 

 

Contact

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark W. Pletcher (619) 546-9714 and Patrick Hovakimian (619) 546-9718

Updated October 19, 2018

Topic
Foreign Corruption
Press Release Number: Former U.S. Navy Commander Sentenced for Bribery Conspiracy with Foreign Defense Contractor in Massive U.S. Navy Corruption and Fraud Case