US Fifth Fleet commander found dead in Bahrain

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U.S. Navy admiral Scott Stearney found dead in apparent suicide
9:08 AM EST U.S. CBS NEWS

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Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, who oversaw U.S. naval forces in the Middle East, was found dead Saturday in his residence in Bahrain, officials said. Defense officials told CBS News they are calling it an "apparent suicide."

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The 5th Fleet operates in the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, including the critical strategic choke points of the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal.

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Retired Navy Captain Moonlighted for Fat Leonard, Pleads Guilty
14 Nov 2018
The San Diego Union-Tribune | By Greg Moran

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In a ceremony at the Joint and Coalition Warfighting complex in Suffolk, Va., Aug. 17, 2012, Rear Adm. Scott Stearney passes the Joint Public Affairs Support Element colors to the incoming commander, Capt. Jeffrey Breslau. (U.S. Navy photo/Marc Benshetler)

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A retired Navy captain who was the lead public affairs officer for the U.S. Pacific Fleet pleaded guilty Tuesday to secretly providing public relations advice to corrupt Malaysian contractor Leonard Glenn "Fat Leonard" Francis, becoming the latest officer caught in the long-running corruption investigation. The plea from Capt. Jeffrey Breslau, 52, not only adds another name to the lengthy list of current and former Navy officers and officials charged in the scheme, but also reveals yet another aspect of Navy operations that Francis corrupted -- to the point the official was literally working for Francis.

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Also on Tuesday, a retired master chief was sentenced to 17 months in prison after admitting he accepted gifts from Francis, such as cash and paid-for rooms in fancy hotels, in return for allowing the contractor to grossly inflate bills submitted to the Navy for services provided during port stays.

Breslau was the director of public affairs for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, according to federal prosecutors in San Diego. Yet while he did public relations work for the fleet, for more than a year from March 2012 to September 2013, he worked secretly for Francis -- advising him on how best to respond to what was then a growing number of inquiries about Francis' operation from inside the Navy. By then Navy investigators were on to Francis' years-long corruption scheme, where he bribed Navy officers and civilians with cash, services of prostitutes, fancy hotel rooms, all-expense-paid travel and other gifts. In exchange, the Navy officials provided Francis information on upcoming port stays for Navy ships, used their influence to try to steer visits to ports where Francis controlled the ship servicing operations, bad-mouthed competitors to Francis's company Glenn Defense Marine Asia and helped him push through inflated or bogus invoices for the services his company provided. Breslau's plea agreement said Francis paid him $65,000 for consulting services during that time period, and Breslau never told the Navy of the agreement. Among the issues he consulted on were port visit costs the Navy was billed for by GDMA, disputes with competitors and controversies over the illegal dumping of waste in ocean waters.

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