SAN DIEGO – A Hawaii man will be spending 30 months in prison after being convicted of taking bribes while he was an active U.S. Navy Captain, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
David Williams Haas is now retired and was sentenced Thursday by a federal judge in San Diego on accusations that he got more than $90,000 in bribes.
Prosecutors said he received that money from foreign defense contractor Leonard Francis. Francis provided Haas with hotel stays, travel and prostitutes.
Court documents reveal that Haas returned the favor to Francis by steering ships from the Navy’s Seventh Fleet to Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) controlled ports.
Below are some of the bribes that Haas took from Francis, according to court documents:
- May 11 to May 15 in 2012: Hotel rooms at the Shangri-La in Jakarta, Indonesia, as well as dinner, entertainment at a nightclub, alcohol and prostitutes.
- June 29 to June 30 in 2012: A two-day party in Tokyo, Japan that cost $75,000 which included dinner at the Nobu Restaurant and entertainment at several hostess clubs where prostitutes were present
“Mr. Haas’ sentencing brings accountability and closure to the willful illegal acts of a former U.S. Navy officer, who abused his position, to illegally enrich himself and others, at the expense of the American taxpayer, as well as the safety and security of our naval forces in the Pacific area of operations,” said Kelly P. Mayo, the Director of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). “This outcome, and others associated with it, demonstrate the steadfast commitment of DCIS and our law enforcement partners to expose corruption within the Department.”
Haas will have to pay a criminal fine of $30,000 and restitution in the amount of $90,968.82. He is 54 years old and from Kailua, Hawaii.
“Mr. Haas betrayed his oath to his country by soliciting, receiving, and accepting a stream of lavish gifts from GDMA, including over $90,000 in meals, entertainment, hotel expenses, and the services of prostitutes, in return for doing and omitting to do acts in violation of his official Navy duties,” said NCIS Director Omar Lopez. “NCIS and our law enforcement partners remain committed to fully investigating all allegations of bribery and corruption that threaten the integrity of the Department of the Navy.”
