By Loliota C. Baldor and Julie Watson - The Associated Press
The extradition of military contractor Leonard Francis, alias Fat Leonard, to the United States as part of a prisoner swap with Venezuela on Wednesday is the latest twist in a decade-long salacious saga and bribery scheme that wiped out dozens of U.S. Navy officers.
One of the largest bribery investigations in U.S. military history led to the conviction and sentencing of scores of Navy officers, defense contractors, and others on various fraud and corruption charges. All of this was marked by Francis' audacious escape last year, when he fled house arrest at his San Diego home for South America.
Leonard Francis, a.k.a. 'Fat Leonard'. Associated Press
Francis, an enigmatic figure, owned and operated his family's naval services business, Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. (GDMA), which supplied food, water and fuel to ships. The Malaysian defense contractor was a key contact for U.S. Navy ships in Asian ports for more than two decades. During that time he courted naval officers with kobe meat, cigars, concert tickets, and wild sex parties in luxury hotels in Thailand and the Philippines.
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In return, the officers, including the first active-duty admiral convicted of a federal crime, concealed that Francis overcharged for supplying ships or for bogus services at ports he controlled in Southeast Asia. The officers passed him classified information and even went so far as to redirect military vessels to ports that were lucrative for his Singapore-based company.
In a federal operation, Francis was taken to San Diego under false pretenses and arrested at a hotel in September 2013. He pleaded guilty in 2015, admitting that he had offered more than $500,000 in cash bribes to Navy officials, defense contractors and others. Prosecutors say he defrauded the Navy of at least $35 million. As part of his plea agreement, he cooperated with the investigation that led to the convictions in that armed force. He faced up to 25 years in prison.
While awaiting sentencing, Francis was hospitalized and treated for kidney cancer and other medical issues. After leaving the hospital, he was allowed to remain under house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor and guards.
But three weeks before his sentencing scheduled for September 2022, he cut off his monitor and escaped, triggering an international manhunt. Authorities said he had fled to Mexico, then Cuba and finally to Venezuela.
He was arrested more than two weeks after escaping, before boarding a flight at Simon Bolivar International Airport on the outskirts of Caracas. Venezuelan authorities said he intended to reach Russia.
Francis had been detained in Venezuela ever since. The U.S. and Venezuela have an extradition agreement.
On Wednesday, the United States released Alex Saab, an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in Venezuela and the extradition of Francis.