The owner and Chief Executive Officer of a Republic of
Korea–based company, DK Marine, that provided ship husbanding services to the
U.S. Navy pleaded guilty today for his role in a bribery conspiracy.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the
Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge David Bell of
the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s (NCIS) Far East Field Office, and
Special Agent in Charge Stanley A. Newell of the Defense Criminal Investigative
Service’s (DCIS) Transnational Operations Field Office made the announcement.
Sung Yol “David” Kim, 49, a citizen of the Republic of
Korea, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery before U.S.
District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith of the Eastern District of Michigan. Sentencing has been scheduled for Nov. 17,
2020, before Judge Goldsmith.
Pursuant to his guilty plea, Kim admitted that between
October 2013 and January 2014, Kim conspired with James Russell Driver III, a
civilian U.S. Navy cargo ship captain, and another civilian U.S. Navy employee
to have Kim and his company provide husbanding services for Driver’s ship
during a December 2013 port visit in Chinhae, Republic of Korea, in violation
of appropriate U.S. Navy husbanding procedures.
Driver also provided Kim with confidential and other proprietary,
internal U.S. Navy information. In
exchange, Kim paid bribes to Driver, including personal travel expenses for
Driver and his family. Driver pleaded
guilty for his role in the conspiracy in March 2019.
NCIS and DCIS investigated the case. Trial Attorney Jessee Alexander-Hoeppner of
the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.
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