Retired CWO Admits Taking $45K in Bribes, Pleads Guilty in Feds' 'Fat Leonard' Investigation -...

Nearly four-and-a-half years after his indictment, a former U.S. 7th Fleet official on Tuesday admitted he traded classified ship schedules in exchange for luxury hotel stays, meals and entertainment while helping a Singapore-based company secure inflated Navy ship husbanding contracts.

Former Chief Warrant Officer Robert Gorsuch, 54, of Mississippi, agreed to plead guilty to one count of bribery of a public official, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego, Calif., announced Tuesday. Gorsuch could face up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced, although under the plea agreement he’s agreed to pay an undetermined amount in restitution.

Gorsuch is the first of the so-called “GDMA Nine” – all former 7th Fleet officials indicted in March 2017 – to plead guilty to federal charges in the bribery, conspiracy and corruption investigation involving Glenn Defense Marine Asia and Leonard Glenn Francis, its owner and chief executive officer.