Two business executives alleged by prosecutors to have bribed a now imprisoned U.S. Navy admiral have been acquitted.
A federal jury on Monday in Washington D.C. acquitted Next Jump co-CEOs Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger, with court records showing each being found not guilty of committing conspiracy or bribery. The verdict comes after the pair were on trial last year, which ended with a hung jury and a mistrial.
The pair were initially charged in relation to purportedly bribing retired four-star Navy Adm. Robert P. Burke for a military contract in exchange for a lucrative post-retirement job, according to the Associated Press. At the time of the allegations, Burke—once the second-highest uniformed Navy officer—was commanding forces in Africa and Europe, as well as Russia.
In May 2025, Burke, 63, of Coconut Creek, Fla., was found guilty of bribery directly in relation to what Kim and Messenger were acquitted of on Monday. A jury found Burke guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, performing acts affecting a personal financial interest, and concealing material facts from the United States following a five-day trial.
He was sentenced in September to six years in prison.
Next Jump is a New York-headquartered technology company that Kim founded in 1994, offering employee-discount products in addition to leadership practice and coaching. Military.com reached out to the company for comment.
Big Money Deals
Burke’s case and the recent acquittal are intertwined.
During the trial for Kim and Messenger, prosecutors attempted to paint a picture showing guilt at both ends of the spectrum.
That included claims that the pair agreed to pay Burke a $500,000 salary with stock options projected to be worth millions of dollars, according to the Associated Press, in exchange for Burke ordering staffers to give a contract to Next Jump and to promote the company’s product to other senior Navy commanders.
Allegations of bribery followed a multimillion-dollar Navy contract that Next Jump secured in 2018, to provide workforce training to an office under the command of Burke, who later joined Next Jump in October 2022 after his retirement. The Navy terminated the “poorly received” pilot program after approximately one year, according to prosecutors.
Reed Brodsky, one of Messenger’s attorneys, said the acquittals showed no link between his client and Burke, calling the ruling “a testament to the power of truth and the integrity of the American justice system,” per the AP.
“We are grateful to the jury for their careful, conscientious deliberations, and to all who stood by Meghan during this difficult chapter,” Brodsky said.
William Burck, one of Kim’s attorneys, said “justice prevailed” and that the jury “didn’t believe” that they bribed anyone.
Burke’s ‘Blatantly Unlawful’ Actions
The Department of Justice, during their announcement of Burke’s guilty verdict last May, said that the admiral “tarnished his reputation” in exchange for big bucks.
The DOJ said that in December 2021, Burke ordered his staff to award a $355,000 contract to Next Jump to train personnel under his command in Italy and Spain. Training was performed in January 2022, though Burke’s next effort to promote the company failed when another senior Navy admiral dissented.
“To conceal the scheme, Burke made several false and misleading statements to the Navy, including by falsely implying that Company A’s employment discussions with Burke only began months after the contract was awarded and omitting the truth on his required government ethics disclosure forms,” the DOJ said in a statement at the time.
Months later, Burke began working at Next Jump at an annual starting salary of $500,000 and a grant of 100,000 stock options.
“When you abuse your position and betray the public trust to line your own pockets, it undermines the confidence in the government you represent,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro in a statement. “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.”
During Burke’s sentencing last September, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden told him that he betrayed the public’s trust and his oath of office.
“This was blatantly unlawful, as you well knew,” McFadden said to Burke. “But you did it anyway. … This is a sad day and a sad chapter in the U.S. Navy.”
Burke never addressed the court during his sentencing. His attorneys, who vowed to appeal, called Burke’s guilty verdict not indicative of that of a “career criminal.”
“It is the case of a single, tragic, and aberrant chapter at the very end of a life defined by honor, courage and commitment,” Burke’s lawyers wrote in court filings.
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