Jose Luis Sanchez, Navy Bribery, California 2015

A U.S. Navy commander pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges today, admitting to providing classified ship schedules and other internal U.S. Navy information in exchange for cash, travel and entertainment expenses, as well as the services of prostitutes.

Jose Luis Sanchez, 42, an active duty U.S. Navy Officer stationed in San Diego, California, is one of seven defendants charged – and the fifth to plead guilty – in the corruption probe involving Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA), a defense contractor based in Singapore that serviced U.S. Navy ships and submarines throughout the Pacific.

Sanchez pleaded guilty to bribery and bribery conspiracy before U.S. Magistrate Judge David H. Bartick of the Southern District of California. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for March 27, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino.

According to his plea agreement, from April 2008 to April 2013, Sanchez held various logistical positions with the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet in Asia. Sanchez admitted that, beginning in September 2009, he entered into a bribery scheme with Leonard Glenn Francis, the CEO of GDMA, in which Sanchez provided classified U.S. Navy ship schedules and other sensitive U.S. Navy information to Francis and used his position and influence within the U.S. Navy to benefit GDMA.

In return, Francis gave him things of value such as cash, travel and entertainment expenses, and the services of prostitutes. Sanchez admitted that this bribery scheme continued until September 2013. Francis was charged in a complaint unsealed on Nov. 6, 2013, with conspiring to commit bribery; that charge remains pending.

The guilty plea marks the fifth conviction in the case, which has been ongoing since 2013. Sanchez is facing many nights in federal prison, a far cry from the luxury hotel rooms he enjoyed during his corrupt dealings. The case serves as a reminder that corruption will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted, and those who compromise the integrity of the United States will face their day of reckoning.

Jose Luis Sanchez, Bribery and Bribery Conspiracy, San Diego, California, 2015 - Currently awaiting sentencing on March 27, 2015.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/us-navy-commander-pleads-guilty-international-bribery-scandal