Steven Loui founded the defense engineering firm Navatek in 1978 and sold it to Martin Kao on an earn-out arrangement under which Kao took roughly 99% ownership. Navatek under Kao’s leadership operated separately from Loui and his other companies, and Loui was not involved in Kao’s lobbying activity. Loui later regained control of the company after Kao’s arrest, renaming it Pacific Marine (PacMar).
What we have documented
We have documented 1 statement by Steven Loui, in 1 case. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.
Case updates
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Role at the time: Founder of Navatek, in a statement to ProPublica
Challenged the characterization
Statement summary
Steven Loui, who founded Navatek and later regained control of the company after selling it to Martin Kao, said Kao's approach to winning contracts was unethical and illegal and a departure from how he ran the company before selling it, and said Navatek received no Collins-supported funding after Kao's arrest.
“The company received no Collins-supported funding after Martin Kao's arrest, nor should it. What Martin Kao and his cabal did was wrong.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the WayReporting Highlights; opening account of the Corner Bakery meeting; sections “Kao to Collins: ‘Here to Help’” and “Downfall, Cover-up”
Why we used this label
Loui condemns Kao's individual conduct and distances the company he founded from it, but does not address whether Collins herself was aware of or complicit in the arrangement. This reframes the wrongdoing as Kao's alone rather than directly evaluating Collins's conduct, so it challenges the scope of the allegation rather than condemning or excusing Collins.
Martin Kao alleged that Susan Collins knowingly linked Navatek campaign support to federal-contract assistance. Collins's office and other participants deny a quid pro quo, while official records establish separate illegal contributions by Navatek-linked actors.
