Story highlights Thirteen of those so far charged have already pleaded guilty

Cmdr. Mario Herrera, 48, is accused of accepting bribes

Washington (CNN) The Justice Department announced Thursday that it was charging a Navy commander in a bribery scandal that has engulfed 17 Navy personnel, including a one-star Navy admiral.

Cmdr. Mario Herrera, 48, is accused of accepting bribes from Leonard Francis, the former CEO of Singapore-based defense contractor Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA).

The complaint alleges that in exchange for "luxury travel and entertainment expenses and the services of prostitutes," Herrera helped GDMA win Navy business, in part by twice directing ships to "take alternative routes that benefited" the contractor at a cost to the Navy of $3.6 million.

Thirteen of those so far charged have already pleaded guilty since the scandal unfolded in 2013. Sentences and fines imposed to date go as high as 12 years and $20 million, according to the Justice Department.

Francis, nicknamed "Fat Leonard," allegedly used his connections with the Navy's Seventh Fleet in Asia to bilk the service out of millions of dollars and in the process ensnared several senior naval officers in the bribery scheme. Francis pleaded guilty to bribery charges in 2015.

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