'An Embarrassment to the Navy:' Modly Censures Chief Accused of Taking $10K in Gifts

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/01/21/embarrassment-navy-modly-censures-chief-accused-taking-10k-gifts.html

'An Embarrassment to the Navy:' Modly Censures Chief Accused of Taking $10K in Gifts

21 Jan 2020

Military.com | By Gina Harkins

The Navy has issued another scathing letter of censure in connection with a massive corruption scandal, this time to a retired chief petty officer who allegedly signed off on invoices he knew were inflated and sought gifts worth more than $10,000.

Retired Navy Chief Logistics Specialist Ulysis T. Guno is the latest person to be ensnared in the investigation into the Navy's interactions with Glenn Defense Marine Asia. Known as the "Fat Leonard" scandal, the case has resulted in bribery and fraud charges against several high-ranking officers and senior enlisted sailors.

Guno allegedly "repeatedly and improperly accepted and solicited gifts from Leonard Francis and GDMA, a prohibited source," Navy officials said in a statement Thursday. The allegations date back to his time serving as the supply leading chief petty officer on the destroyer Cushing in 2004 and with the Logistics Support Center for Fleet and Industrial Supply Center, Detachment Singapore, according to the statement.

"Based on the evidence reviewed, the total value of the gifts LSC (Ret.) Guno received from Mr. Francis/GDMA was at least $10,617.90," it reads. "During the same period, LSC (Ret.) Guno repeatedly took action for the benefit of Mr. Francis/GDMA; he made a practice of unquestioningly recommending the approval of invoices on which he knew or believed GDMA was overbilling the Navy, and he shared internal Navy information with Mr. Francis/GDMA."
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Guno also, according to the statement, allegedly made numerous false statements to a Naval Criminal Investigative Service special agent who interviewed him in 2018.
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