A U.S. Navy petty officer who was based in Japan when he took cash and consumer electronics from a foreign defense contractor in exchange for classified Navy information was sentenced Thursday in San Diego to 27 months in federal prison.
Daniel Layug pleaded guilty in May 2014 for his role in the bribery scandal involving Singapore-based defense contractor Glenn Defense Marine Asia, which for decades provided port services to U.S. Navy ships in the Asia Pacific region.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Pletcher said Layug is the first of nine charged defendants to be sentenced in the case.
Seven defendants have pleaded guilty and two are awaiting trial, according to the prosecutor.
Layug told U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino that he was willing to accept whatever punishment she handed down. Layug apologized to his family and especially his father, who was also in the military.
"I let my ego and my greed take over me," Layug told Sammartino.
Rear Adm. Jonathan Yuen, Chief of Navy Supply Corps, told the judge that Layug's actions represented a "fundamental betrayal of everything we stand for."
Sammartino told Layug that he breached and violated his position of trust.
"You put our country at risk," the judge told the defendant.
According to court documents, GDMA owner and CEO "Fat Leonard" Francis and his cousin, GDMA executive Alex Wisidagama, enlisted the clandestine assistance of Navy personnel — including Cmdr. Michael Vannak Khem Misiewicz, Cmdr. Jose Luis Sanchez, Naval Criminal Investigative Service Special Agent John Beliveau and Layug — to provide classified ship schedules and other sensitive information about the ongoing criminal investigation.
Layug admitted that he accepted a $1,000-a-month allowance from GDMA, plus luxury hotel stays for himself and others in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Thailand.
He also admitted asking GDMA for numerous electronic devices, including a iPad 3, Nikon digital camera, Blackberry, VAIO computer, PSP gaming unit and Wii gaming unit.
