Navy Consolidated Disposition Authority

In March 2014, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus established a Consolidated Disposition Authority (CDA).  The CDA acts as an independent authority to review Navy personnel’s interactions with Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) in the 2006-2007 timeframe. GDMA is the subject of a federal fraud and bribery investigation which was initiated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).  The GDMA investigation is commonly referred to as the “Fat Leonard Scandal,” named after the owner of the GDMA, Leonard Glenn Francis, who has admitted to bribing U.S. Navy contacts to obtain classified information and steer ships to specific ports in the Pacific to benefit GDMA.

Since 2013, approximately 31 people have been criminally charged in connection with the Fat Leonard Scandal by federal prosecutors.  According to investigators, more than 200 people — including 30 admirals — have come under scrutiny as a result of the inquiry.  If criminal charges are not pursued by prosecutors, the inquiries are turned over to the CDA to ensure that individuals are held appropriately accountable.  For military members,  administrative actions can have profoundly negative impacts on their Naval careers, retirement grade, and post-military job opportunities.

The military attorneys at JAG Defense have experience in representing senior military officers before the CDA.  If you have been informed that you are facing administrative action as the result of the Fat Leonard Scandal, we encourage you to contact JAG Defense for a free consultation about your case.

Air Force E-7 tested positive on a random urinalysis for marijuana. At his subsequent court-martial, the military lawyers at JAG Defense challenged the laboratory’s testing methods and presented compelling evidence of our client’s exceptional military character. Result: The officer members found our client NOT GUILTY of the charge against him.