It seems like everyones talking about bribery these days but I, and anyone else who works for the federal government, have to limit what we can say about what does or does not constitute an ethical or illegal lapse.
I am an ethicist who teaches leadership, ethics and law, and I believe a recent bribery case in the U.S. military offers an interesting and distinctive perspective through which to consider these issues. Unfortunately, due to current restrictions on what federal employees can and cant say about political matters, I cant discuss all the ways that case might apply to a broader debate.
Nonetheless, there is one thing I can say without caveat or equivocation. Bribery laws for government officials have a powerful ethical principle at their core: If you work for the government, your actions in office are meant to serve the public interest not your own.
The so-called Fat Leonard scandal is the largest bribery and corruption case in U.S. Navy history.
The key player is Leonard Glenn Francis, a Malaysian-born businessman based in Singapore who was commonly referred to as Fat Leonard because of his 350-pound weight. He ran a company called Glenn Defense Marine Asia that had U.S. government contracts to provide various services to Navy ships in Asian ports docking, refueling, sewage removal and shore transportation for both cargo and personnel.
In 2015, Francis pleaded guilty to plying Navy officers with cash and favors in exchange for their efforts to steer the Navys Pacific fleet to ports where his company could provide services. Then, the company would fabricate bids by nonexistent companies to make its own charges look competitive, overbill the Navy for services and even draw up fake invoices to collect money for goods and services it never provided to the ships and crews.
The case is perhaps best known for the fact that one of the most common favors Francis provided were paid sexual partners: He even kept meticulous notes about the peccadilloes of different officers.
More significant for U.S. taxpayers is the fact that the decade-long scam ultimately bilked the Navy out of more than US$35 million.
In some ways the Fat Leonard scandal is a textbook bribery scheme, with clandestine meetings, envelopes full of cash, and explicit arrangements to perform clearly illegal acts. In fact, one of the biggest questions raised when Leonard was finally arrested in 2013 was how his company had been able to get away with the scheme for almost a decade.
There were, in fact, several whistleblowers along the way, but as is often the case when corruption is widespread, those in on the scheme were notified of the complaints before word got to those who would hold them responsible. So rather than being lauded, whistleblowers were instead widely vilified.
Nonetheless, the truth was eventually brought to light. To date, more than 20 people have pleaded guilty to federal crimes, including the first-ever conviction of an admiral for a felony.
Significantly, however, the scope of the scandal is even more far-reaching. Dozens of officers, including several admirals, have been reprimanded and removed from office for more minor related violations, without going to jail.
These last cases are particularly interesting, because they help demonstrate not only the high standards of military, but also the ways that bribery schemes often dont conform to common, stereotypical, preconceived notions.
Many of the officers charged didnt accept cash payments, but rather the kind of favors that they couldnt or wouldnt be able to obtain for themselves: travel, champagne, scotch, luxury hotel rooms, ornamental swords, handmade ship models, spa treatments, Cuban cigars, Kobe beef, Spanish suckling pigs, concert tickets and even a culinary internship.
Ultimately, it shouldnt be surprising that bribery often begins with small favors rather than thick envelopes of cash. Human beings are social creatures; favors strengthen peoples social bonds and make them more likely to reciprocate in turn.
Thats why federal ethics rules regarding favors are generally so strict, prohibiting government employees from accepting all but the most minimal gifts (even modest meals) from contractors and foreign agents.
Those prohibitions have obvious exceptions, but the principle behind the general rules is all the more important in their exceptions: Official actions are meant to serve public, rather than private, interests. In the Fat Leonard cases, the evidence is clear: Even in the cases in which leaders have been merely reprimanded and removed from office, the kinds of favors the officers accepted demonstrate they were acting for their own benefits not those of the nation.
There may well be lessons the Fat Leonard saga has for other cases in which the alleged exchange of official acts for something of personal value is a key element of the crime. Those considerations might seem even more relevant given that in 1998, Mississippi Republican lawmaker Roger Wicker took to the House floor and declared the rule of law means that the commander-in-chief of our armed forces could not be held to a lower standard than are his subordinates. More than two decades later Wicker, now a senator, has recently reaffirmed that standard.
However, I am a federal employee, and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has issued unusually broad guidance about the Hatch Acts limits on federal workers partisan political activities. The law generally bars federal employees from advocating in favor of or against the election of a particular candidate, as well from participating in other partisan political activities in an election. Yet the current guidance which itself has been criticized for taking sides on a political divide has been taken by some to apply to any analysis of any aspects of the presidents impeachment and trial.
This is a free-speech problem, but its more than that. When federal and state governments hire experts and researchers as, in effect, public servants, I believe that expertise should be welcome in the public sphere, helping to inform the people we work for.
I work at a federally run university, which is why I come under these particular government rules. There are relatively few institutions like mine, so it might seem a minor issue. However, numerous states have laws similar to the Hatch Act, at least some of which apply to employees of those states public universities. If the current federal rules stand, public state university employees may well find themselves facing similar, or even more problematic, limits in the future, especially if analysis is taken to be a form of advocacy.
Regardless of those concerns, the Office of Special Counsels current guidance remains, for better or worse, the rule for federal employees. Given that fact, there very may well be another reason to follow it: Doing so can help further differentiate those who attempt to respect the significant distinction between campaigning and governing from those who seek to minimize, or even eliminate altogether, the difference between the two.
As a result, I leave any lessons of how the Fat Leonard scandal might apply to any other case as an exercise for the reader.
Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Marcus Hedahl, Associate Professor of Philosophy, United States Naval Academy.
Read this article:
A Navy scandal sheds light on the nature of bribery and the limits of free speech - AlterNet
- Las Vegas author Lissa Townsend Rodgers sheds light on historic women in organized crime - Las Vegas Weekly - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Meta sheds more light on how it is evolving Llama 3 training it relies for now on almost 50000 Nvidia H100 GPU, but ... - TechRadar - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- The Nigerian currency sheds off N500 against the US dollar - Business Insider Africa - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- How the Princess of Wales' story sheds light on the importance of cancer screening - CBC.ca - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Library approved for storage shed thanks in-part to a $10000 donation from Friends of the Library - mykxlg.com - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Wake County students build sheds to help with nationwide demand - CBS17.com - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Quantum tornado sheds light on black holes - Innovation News Network - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Trent Brown sheds light on his decision to sign with Bengals in free agency - Stripe Hype - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Revealed: documents shed light on shadowy US far-right fraternal order - The Guardian US - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Fire destroys home and sheds in Troy | Local News | foxbangor.com - FOX Bangor/ABC 7 News and Stories - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Insider Sheds Light on Stefon Diggs Future With Bills After Cryptic Post - Heavy.com - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Sister Wives Star Garrison Brown's Sister Sheds Light on His Mental Health Struggles After Tragic Death - TooFab - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Synopsys (NASDAQ:SNPS) sheds 3.7% this week, as yearly returns fall more in line with earnings growth - Yahoo Finance - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Affidavit sheds light on charges against Tell City pastor - Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW) - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Gisele Bndchen Sheds Light on Life After Tom Brady's 2022 Divorce: The Only Time Something Is Fixed Is When You ... - EssentiallySports - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Toba Supereruption Sheds Light on Early Human Migration - Mirage News - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Miami Dolphins LB Anthony Walker Sheds New Light on Significant Health Scare - Pro Football Network - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Tyrese Haliburton sheds harsh truth on sports betting: I'm a prop - Sportskeeda - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- The Daily Show Sheds Viewers with Co-Host Format - imdb - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- French tax officials to hunt out undeclared sheds and verandas - The Connexion - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- D'Angelo Russell sheds light on subtle disparity between sharing locker room with LeBron James & Kobe Bryant - Sportskeeda - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Steph Curry sheds light on his most savage trash-talking incident, eerily similar to Larry Bird's - Sportskeeda - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- NOPD body cam footage sheds light on 'high-risk' arrest, use-of-force investigation - NOLA.com - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- DEI-vestment: University of Florida sheds 'inclusion' for innovation Minding The Campus - Minding The Campus - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Bedford volleyball coach sheds light on investigation, leave of absence - Monroe Evening News - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Can World Hunger Be Eradicated by 2030? New Research Sheds Light on Key Puzzle Piece - SciTechDaily - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Alex Kurtzman Sheds Light on Star Trek Discovery's Tough Road to Season 5 - Den of Geek - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Is the iPhone SE 4 Worth the Wait? A New Report Sheds Light On it - Gizchina.com - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- PEPE sheds 8% in 24 hours: Are investors losing confidence? - AMBCrypto News - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Fire moves from shed to house, damaging home in Cloquet - Northern News Now - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- "COPA 71" documentary sheds light on forgotten Women's World Cup - Euronews - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Photo Series Sheds Light on Homelessness with Pets - Mirage News - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- 'I thank the firefighters:' Neighbor on cars and shed catching fire in Bedford County - WSET - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- New Study Sheds Light on Where India's People Came From - The Wire - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Who Was Behind Sam Altman's Ouster From OpenAI? New Reports Sheds A Light On Key Executives' Role - Micro - Benzinga - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Romanian stock indices start week in red, TTS sheds most - SeeNews - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- XRPs gradual appreciation mystery: Ripple CTO sheds light on it - AMBCrypto News - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Are Edibles Safer Than Smoking? New Study Sheds Light on Cannabis and Heart Problems - Verywell Health - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- New Protein Structure Sheds Light on Anti-Cancer Immunotherapies - Mirage News - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Whale menopause sheds light on human evolutionary mystery - The Borneo Post - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Podcast: In the Shed Ep 11 - BikePortland - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Sponsor spotlight: Winter-proof your space - The Original Mini Barns' guide to durable sheds and maintenance tips - My Edmonds News - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- RTX 4080 Super teardown sheds light on power connector controversy PCB shows traces for two 8-pin connectors ... - Tom's Hardware - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Israeli-American activist Peled sheds light on decades of terror in Palestine - Middle East Monitor - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Research sheds insight on replacement heifers - Beef Magazine - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Being a YouTuber Musician is Way More Expensive Than You Think: Guitarist Sheds Light on Costs of Online Career - Ultimate Guitar - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- CDC Sheds Light on High HIV Risk Among Trans Women - POZ - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Metal shed cave in kills one, injures several others - China Daily - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Former island resident sheds light on Middle East crisis - Kodiak Daily Mirror - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Home Items You Really Shouldn't Be Storing In An Outdoor Shed - House Digest - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- 'Where is Wendy Williams?' Documentary Trailer Sheds Light on Icon's Personal Struggles - Just Jared - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Cha Eun Woo sheds a tear in 'Entity' concept film & photos - allkpop - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Fire damages 6 vehicles, 1 shed in Tornillo - KTSM 9 News - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- National survey sheds new light on outdoor participation - Newton County Times - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Research Sheds New Light on Origin of Syphilis, Rescues Columbus' Reputation - Science & Health - Haaretz - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Insider Sheds Light On Recent Chicago Bears-Washington Trade Rumors - Sports Mockery - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Kelly Clarkson Sheds Light on the Health Diagnosis That Kickstarted Her Weight Loss - Parade Magazine - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- MAFS star sheds light on extreme wedding day filming: 'Everyone's really wasted' - Yahoo Lifestyle Australia - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- L.A Coliseum Controversy Silenced as NASCAR Insider Sheds Light on Severity of the Storm - EssentiallySports - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Transient accused of starting fire in shed by Sunnyside Museum - Yakima Herald-Republic - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Police report sheds light on Redmond man's death from cold exposure after crash, fall on rocks above Dry Canyon - KTVZ - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- DC sheds light on 'House of Brainiacs' Superman crossover in April 2024 AIPT - AIPT - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Eviction filing sheds light on 5-year-olds deadly fall from KC apartment - WDAF FOX4 Kansas City - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- 'She adored Harry' Robert Hardman sheds light on The Queen's 'special relationship' with grandson - GB News - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Cam Newton sheds light on Justin Fields' late hits with eye-opening, personal anecdote - NBC Sports Chicago - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Research sheds new light on moon rock formation solving major puzzle in lunar geology - Phys.org - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Novel mineral sheds light on rare-earth formation - China Daily - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Tangoe's Analysis Sheds Light on Taming Cloud Costs in 2024 - Techiexpert.com - TechiExpert.com - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Controversial F-Factor diet creator sheds uptown condo for $24 million - Crain's New York Business - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Tesla market valuation sheds $94 billion in first weeks of 2024 - CBT Automotive News - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Aryna Sabalenka Sheds Light on New Superstitious 'Routine' with Her Physiotherapist -'Anything for the Win' - EssentiallySports - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- 'He Didn't Have the Courage' - Novak Djokovic Sheds Light on Ill-Tempered Interaction With Heckler at Australian Open - EssentiallySports - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Milwaukee Bucks' Adrian Griffin Sheds Light On Giannis Antetokounmpo's Sudden Injury Absence Vs. Cavs - Wisconsin Sports Heroics - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- At the End of This Once-Barren Yard Is a Shed That's Now a Cozy Hideaway - Domino - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- San Antonio shed fire spreads, causing $100,000 damage: Space heater suspected - FOX 29 - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Body found following shed fire | Community - The Leader News - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- A Royal Expert Sheds Light on Why Kate Middleton and King Charles' Surgeries Were Announced on the Same Day - Yahoo Lifestyle Australia - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Tribune-Star Editorial: CANDLES again sheds light on darkness of hate speech - Terre Haute Tribune Star - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Digital mortgage firm Blend loses $478M, sheds more of workforce - The Real Deal - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Interview Sheds Light On Toyotas Thinking About EVs - CleanTechnica - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]