SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A U.S. Navy officer from Waynesfield was arraigned Thursday in a San Diego federal court on charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, a charge connected to what has become one of the largest scandals to hit the U.S. Navy since the Cold War.
Lt. Cmdr. Gentry Debord, a supply and logistics officer based in Singapore, is accused of working with military supplier Glenn Defense Marine Asia to give it “information about an investigation into force protection charges in 2009,” according to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Court records also say he instructed the company to inflate its invoices for water and trash removal services to the Navy for a 2009 port visit to Singapore, in order to cover the costs of gifts he received,” the report continued.
In exchange, Debord, described in a story by The Associated Press as a “sex-starved officer,” received cash, hotel stays and prostitutes, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of California. The arrangements were made through former GDMA CEO Leonard Glenn “Fat Leonard” Francis, who is at the center of the bribery scandal, who pled guilty in 2013 to cheating the Navy out of at least $35 million, according to the Associated Press.
“To conceal the true nature of his relationship with Francis, Debord referred to prostitutes as ‘cheesecake’ or ‘bodyguards,’” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office release. “For example, on October 13, 2008, Debord emailed a GDMA executive with pictures of a woman, commenting: ‘This is the cheesecake I want …’ In November 2008, Debord wrote to a GDMA employee demanding a three-bedroom furnished apartment in Hong Kong: ‘I need a 3BDR one if you can. Away from sailors but near bars/clubs/cheesecakes.’
Debord, a 1995 Navy enlistee who has served as an officer for 16 years and who had previously been decorated by the Navy for his logistics work, is the 14th current or former Naval official charged in relation to this bribery scandal, with as many as 200 under investigation. The Navy has also reported that about 30 admirals are “under scrutiny for possible criminal or ethical violations,” according to the Associated Press.
Prior to his arraignment, Debord had been released on a $40,000 bond. According to lead prosecutor Patrick Hovakimian, Debord is still on active duty with the Navy.
