[Daniel Dusek navy scandal]U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Mark R. Alvarez/Released The highest-ranking US Navy officer convicted so far in a massive bribery scandal is expected to be sentenced to years in prison Friday for selling military secrets to an Asian defense contractor in exchange for prostitutes, luxury hotel stays and other favors. Capt. Daniel Dusek, the former commander of the USS Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship, is likely to receive between two and four years behind bars during his sentencing hearing in US District Court in San Diego, according to court records filed by prosecutors and defense attorneys. Dusek is one of 10 defendants charged so far in the case, perhaps the biggest corruption scandal in the Navy's history. Two sailors have already received prison terms, while two other Navy officers and a senior agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. In a statement filed in federal court this week, Dusek admitted to "succumbing to the temptations before me" by giving classified information to Glenn Defense Marine Asia, a Singapore-based contractor, as part of a scheme to fleece the Navy of tens of millions of dollars. "I have disgraced myself and the Navy that I love and now end my naval career in utter humiliation," Dusek wrote. But Dusek also hinted that even higher-ranking officers were on the take, and that the relationship between the contractor and Navy brass was even more sordid than previously known. In his statement, Dusek said a "senior officer who was a friend and a mentor" introduced him in 2010 to Leonard Glenn Francis, the owner of Glenn Defense Marine Asia and a charismatic figure known in Navy circles as "Fat Leonard." The unnamed senior officer described Francis as "a great friend of the Navy" and influenced Dusek to trust and work closely with the contractor. Francis pleaded guilty to bribery charges last year and is cooperating with US investigators. He has admitted to systematically bribing "scores" of Navy personnel by plying them with prostitutes, envelopes of cash, stays at resorts and Epicurean feasts when their ships docked at ports throughout Asia. [navy amphibious ship]U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Mark R. Alvarez/Released In a fresh revelation, Dusek said Francis went so far as to purchase a decommissioned British naval vessel and turned it into a party boat to entertain top US Navy officials. The ship, originally known as the RFA Sir Lancelot, was rechristened the Glenn Braveheart after Francis bought it in 2003. Dusek also said that Francis had a traveling squad of prostitutes and strippers -- dubbed as his "Thai SEAL Team" -- that would accompany him to greet US ships as they arrived in Asian ports. Glenn Defense Marine Asia was burrowed so deeply into the Navy's officer corps, according to Dusek, that one of Francis's deputies had "unfettered access" to the USS Blue Ridge, the headquarters ship for the 7th Fleet, which oversees all Navy operations in Asia. Dusek said the deputy, Edmond Aruffo, a retired Navy officer who worked for Francis, "openly assimilated himself" into the 7th Fleet staff and often dined with officers on board the Blue Ridge -- a place that should have been off-limits to contractors. Dusek also said family problems, overwork and "excessive amounts of alcohol" made him vulnerable to Francis's bribes. His attorneys have argued that he should receive a prison sentence of no more than 27 months, noting that he turned himself in to investigators after Francis was arrested in September 2013. Prosecutors, however, were pushing for a sentence of 44 months behind bars, plus $100,000 in fines and restitution. They noted that Dusek tried to delete all his emails as soon as word spread that Francis had been arrested. NOW WATCH: IAN BREMMER: Greece is headed for a humanitarian disaster
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