This is the first arrest in the ongoing bribery scandal since November, when a third high-ranking Navy official was detained on similar charges – Cmdr. Jose Luis Sanchez, 41, was charged with accepting prostitutes, luxury travel, and $100,000 in cash for giving Glenn Defense schedule information.
Officials have arrested and charged a fourth US Navy officer with leaking classified information to a defense contractor in exchange for cash, gifts, and other personal favors.
Petty Officer First Class Dan Layug was arrested Wednesday morning in San Diego and made his first appearance in court on Thursday, where he was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery in what’s been billed as the worst scandal to hit the Navy in decades.
According to NBC San Diego, court documents show that the 27-year-old Navy officer is accused of accepting money, luxury hotel accommodations, and consumer electronics from Glenn Defense Marine Asia, a contractor based in Singapore that had provided maintenance services for Navy ships for 25 years.
In return, Layug provided Glenn Defense with classified copies of ship schedules, which the company used to help severely overcharge the Navy for basic services. Since 2009, the company had overbilled the Navy by $20 million and had been awarded with $200 million in contracts since 2011 – contracts that have now been cancelled.
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