Sailor pleads guilty in Navy contractor bribery case

NORFOLK, Va. – The first sailor to face a military trial related to a decadelong corruption scandal has pleaded guilty to ethics violations charges.

The Virginian-Pilot reports 49-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 4 Brian Ware was sentenced Thursday to six months of confinement and a $10,000 fine in connection to the “Fat Leonard” scandal.

“Fat Leonard” refers to defence contractor “Fat Leonard” Francis, who pleaded guilty in 2015 to managing a conspiracy in which bribed Navy officials helped him overcharge the Navy for fuel, food and other services. Ware, assigned to aircraft carrier USS Ronald Regan, is one of five sailors who have been charged.

Prosecutors argued for a harsher sentence, but Ware’s defence attorney countered that Ware is a “small fish” in a big scandal that’s ensnared higher-ranking officials.

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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com