Ex-defence contractor gets 15 years in massive US Navy corruption scandal

Malaysian nationalist Leonard Glenn Francis was brought backmost to the US successful 2023 aft helium snipped his GPS show and fled to Venezuela.

A erstwhile defence contractor has been sentenced to 15 years successful situation successful the United States, prosecutors said, for being down 1 of the biggest scandals successful the subject that progressive bribing dozens of US Navy officers.

Leonard Glenn Francis was sentenced successful a San Diego national tribunal and ordered to wage $20m successful restitution to the navy, on with a $150,000 fine, according to a connection from the US Attorney’s Office connected Tuesday.

Additionally, Malaysian nationalist Francis – besides known arsenic “Fat Leonard” owed to his ample stature – was ordered by US District Judge Janis L Sammartino to forfeit $35m successful “ill-gotten proceeds from his crimes”.

Prosecutors said the condemnation resulted from Francis’s archetypal blameworthy plea successful 2015 concerning bribery and fraud, his extended practice with the authorities since then, and different blameworthy plea connected Tuesday for failing to look for his archetypal sentencing proceeding successful 2022.

Shortly earlier helium was owed to beryllium sentenced successful September 2022, Francis chopped disconnected a GPS ankle show helium was wearing portion nether location apprehension and fled the country. He was nether location apprehension aft being hospitalised and treated for renal crab and different aesculapian issues.

He set disconnected an planetary search aft fleeing to Mexico earlier making his mode to Cuba and yet getting to Venezuela.

He was arrested by Venezuelan authorities astir 2 weeks aft his disappearance arsenic helium was trying to committee a formation astatine the Simon Bolivar planetary airdrome extracurricular the capital, Caracas.

Venezuelan officials said helium intended to scope Russia. He was brought backmost to the US successful December 2023.

Leonard Glenn Francis Sentenced to 15 Years successful Prison for Massive Bribery, Fraud and Disappearance https://t.co/CMxo8Rm88l pic.twitter.com/gxdv3tjs1b

— US Attorney CAS (@SDCAnews) November 5, 2024

The 60-year-old Francis present has an estimated 8 and a fractional years successful situation remaining since helium was initially arrested successful San Diego successful 2013 and remained successful pretrial custody until precocious 2017, erstwhile a tribunal released him pending sentencing for aesculapian reasons.

According to prosecutors, Francis and his company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA), which provided services to US Navy ships successful Asia Pacific ports, gave co-conspirators millions of dollars successful items of value, including much than $500,000 successful cash.

He besides spent hundreds of thousands of dollars connected bribing officers with enactment parties, question expenses, edifice stays, spa treatments, lavish meals, top-shelf intoxicant and wine, and luxury gifts that included Kobe beef, Cuban cigars and ornamental swords.

Prosecutors said Francis admitted that successful return, navy unit advocated connected behalf of him and GDMA during the procurement process, providing classified accusation astir assorted Navy ships’ larboard visits and competitors’ bids for navy contracts.

GDMA was besides ordered to wage a good of $36m.

The cases were handled by the US Attorney’s Office successful an effort to beryllium autarkic of the subject justness system.

But what Sammartino past twelvemonth called “flagrant misconduct” by the pb national authoritative successful the cases of 4 erstwhile navy officers progressive with Francis led to felony convictions of the subject officers being vacated.

Sammartino, however, ruled that the misconduct was not capable to disregard the large-scale bribery and fraud case.