A former high-ranking member of the U.S. military is now facing significant prison time following a Monday conviction in a case involving bribery and other serious offenses.

As The Hill reports, Retired Adm. Robert Burke, the former vice chief of Naval operations who was, at one time, the No. 2 officer in the Navy, was found guilty of steering contracts to an outside company in exchange for lucrative employment, a result that comes amid Trump administration plans to substantially trim the ranks of active-duty generals and admirals.

Burke convicted

The result in Burke's case brings the retired officer a dubious distinction, in that he is now the senior-most member of the American military to be convicted of having committed a federal crime while still on active duty.

Bribery, conspiracy to commit bribery, performing acts affecting a personal financial interest, and concealing material facts are the counts on which Burke, 62, was found guilty, and evidence presented in the case revealed what prosecutors said was a brazen scheme to use his military position for personal enrichment.

A press release from the Department of Justice indicated that during the period between 2020 and 2022, Burke oversaw naval operations in Europe, Russia, and the majority of Africa, commanding thousands of military personnel.

Burke ran into trouble, however, when, contrary to instructions from the Navy, he engaged with two co-defendants -- who were co-CEOs of a training company -- to steer contracts to their firm in exchange for a future, $500,000 per year job, which he began in late 2022.

Remarking on the outcome of the five-day trial, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro stated, “When you abuse your position and betray the public trust to line your own pockets, it undermines the confidence in the government you represent. Our office, with our law enforcement partners will root out corruption -- be it bribes or illegal contracts -- and hold accountable the perpetrators, no matter what title or rank they hold.”

Slimming the top ranks

Burke's conviction comes at a time when the Trump administration, under the auspices of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is pursuing a series of planned cuts to the ranks of senior military leadership, including the reduction of active-duty four-star generals and admirals by at least 20%, as The Hill recently reported.

In a memo outlining his rationale for the cuts, Hegseth stated, “The Department of Defense is committed to ensuring the lethality of U.S. Military Forces to deter threats and, when necessary, achieve decisive victory. To accomplish this mission, we must cultivate exceptional senior leaders who drive innovation and operational excellence, unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness.”

Hegseth went on, “A critical step in this process is removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership by reducing excess general and flag officer positions.”

The planned reductions are reportedly slated to shrink the current tally of four-star generals and admirals to fewer than 30 and the list of general and flag officers would drop beneath 720, representing cuts from recent totals of 37 and 900, respectively.

There has been no suggestion that Burke's case played any role in Hegseth's determination, and he made clear that the move is not “a slash and burn exercise,” suggesting simply that “more generals and admirals does not lead to more success.”

Sentencing date looms

With regard to Burke and the legal consequences he now faces, U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden has set a sentencing date of Aug. 22.

According to Fox News, the disgraced former admiral could be given up to 30 years in prison as a result of his conviction, though precisely what punishment he will ultimately receive, only time will tell.