A former U.S. Navy captain has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for taking bribes in exchange for steering large contracts to a foreign defense contractor.
In June 2020, retired U.S. Navy Captain David Haas of Kailua, Hawaii, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, as prosecutors claimed that he had accepted around $91,000 in bribes. Haas originally faced longer prison time if convicted of eight counts in an August 2018 indictment regarding the corruption and bribery scandal of Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA).
Haas, 54, was also ordered to pay restitution for $90,968.82 and a criminal fine of $30,000. The judge also imposed a three-year supervised release upon completion of his time in prison.
Prosecutors say that Haas was just one of dozens of officials who accepted bribes from a man known as Leonard Glenn Francis, also known as “Fat Leonard.” Francis owned GDMA, which supplied food, water, and fuel to military vessels for years.
Haas would steer ships to Francis’ ports located in Southeast Asia in exchange for bribes that included prostitutes, hotel stays, dinners, and parties. Francis has since admitted to overbilling the Navy by $35 million.
“You of all people should have known your relationship with Mr. Francis was wrong,” U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino told Haas, per the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Bottom line, you betrayed and hurt the Navy (and) your fellow officers.”
“Public corruption erodes the very fabric of our democracy, threatening the reputation and functioning of our institutions and thus the ability of the United States to lead with credibility,” said U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman, as reported by the United States Attorney’s Office. “Today’s sentencing, in part, replenishes the well of democracy, signaling to all Americans that the business of your public institutions will be conducted in the light, without bias or favor.”