Former NCIS agent sentenced to 12 years in bribery case

A former Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) agent was sentenced to 12 years in prison Friday for tipping off a defense contractor about investigations into his business.

The agent, John Beliveau II, plead guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in 2013. He admitted accepting cash, luxury hotel stays and prostitutes from Malaysian contractor Leonard Francis in exchange for sharing hundreds of internal files with Francis about criminal investigations.

Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Beliveau to 15 years, while his attorney asked had asked the judge to sentence him to no more than a year in home confinement and the maximum period of supervised release.

In court filings, Beliveau’s attorney, Justine Carmichael, stated he ‘suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder since he was 6. He also has suffered from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and has had alcohol problems, Carmichael said.

"We were very disappointed that the government dismissed and belittled his mental health condition, calling it nonsense and an alphabet soup of disorders," Carmichael said outside court.

In a letter to the court, Beliveau apologized and said he deserves and understands "the feeling of anger, vengeance and disgust from others in my former field." He asked for forgiveness and offered himself as an example of what not to do in law enforcement.

In addition to his prison sentence, Beliveau was also ordered to pay $20 million in restitution.

Francis is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to bribing Navy officials with more than $500,000 in cash, sex workers, Cuban cigars, Kobe beef, model ships and others gifts in exchange for favors that helped him beat out competitors and overbill the Navy. He has been in federal custody since his arrest in September 2013.

The case has led to charges against 16 people, including nearly a dozen current and former Navy officials.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.