Ret. Capt. Michael Brooks, Bribery, California 2016

Three current and former Navy officers, including Ret. Capt. Michael Brooks, were charged in a massive bribery and fraud scheme involving a Navy contractor in California. The charges were announced on May 25, 2016.

According to the indictment, from June 2006 to July 2008, Brooks, 57, of Fairfax Station, Virginia, served as the U.S. Naval Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines. In exchange for travel and entertainment expenses, hotel rooms, and the services of prostitutes, Brooks used his office to benefit GDMA and Francis, including securing the quarterly diplomatic clearances for GDMA vessels, which allowed GDMA vessels to transit into and out of the Philippines under the diplomatic clearance of the U.S. Embassy; limited the amount of custom fees and taxes that GDMA was required to pay in the Philippines; and enabled GDMA to avoid inspection of any quantity or type of cargo that it transported.

The indictment also alleges that Brooks provided Francis with sensitive Navy information, including billing information belonging to a GDMA competitor and Navy ship schedules. Brooks was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Brooks made his initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and was allowed to post a $50,000 bond.

Commander Bobby Pitts, 47, of Chesapeake, Virginia, was charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and two counts of obstruction of justice. According to the indictment, from August 2009 to May 2011, Pitts was the Officer in Charge of the Navy’s Fleet Industrial Supply Command (FISC), which was charged with meeting the logistical needs of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet. In exchange for entertainment, meals, and the services of a prostitute, Pitts used his position with FISC to interfere with NCIS investigations into GDMA.

Pitts was granted a $5,000 bond, ordered to be subject to electronic monitoring, and was scheduled to appear in the Southern District of California on June 10, 2016.

Lieutenant Commander Gentry Debord, 47, who is based in Singapore, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. According to the indictment, from November 2007 to August 2013, Debord served in several logistical and supply positions in the Western Pacific. In exchange for cash, hotel stays, and the services of prostitutes, Debord allegedly provided Francis with inside Navy information and documents, including information about competitors’ bids and information about GDMA’s contracts with the U.S. Navy.

Debord was granted a $40,000 bond secured by real property and was scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Bartick of the Southern District of California on June 9, 2016.

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