US Navy contractor behind one of the military's biggest scandals sentenced to 15 years

SAN DIEGO — 

Former subject defence contractor Leonard "Fat Leonard" Francis was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years successful situation for masterminding a decade-long bribery strategy that swept up dozens of U.S. Navy officers, national prosecutors said.

U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino besides ordered Francis to wage $20 cardinal successful restitution to the Navy and a $150,000 fine, according to a connection from the U.S. Attorney's Office. He was besides ordered to forfeit $35 cardinal successful "ill-gotten proceeds from his crimes," the connection said.

Prosecutors said the condemnation resulted from Francis' archetypal blameworthy plea successful 2015 concerning bribery and fraud, his extended practice with the authorities since past and different blameworthy plea 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 show helium was wearing portion nether location apprehension and fled the country. He was aboriginal arrested successful Venezuela and brought backmost to the U.S. successful December 2023.

Sammartino sentenced him to much than 13 1/2 years for the bribery and fraud charges, positive 16 months for failing to appear. The sentences are to beryllium served consecutively.

"Leonard Francis lined his pockets with payer dollars portion undermining the integrity of U.S. Naval forces," U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said successful Tuesday’s statement. "The interaction of his deceit and manipulation volition beryllium agelong felt, but justness has been served today."

Email and telephone messages seeking remark were near Tuesday for William Douglas Sprague, an lawyer for Francis.

Sprague, who sought a condemnation of conscionable nether 9 years, argued that his client’s practice should warrant a lesser sentence, 10 News San Diego reported.

Sprague besides said Francis' institution provided the Navy with exemplary services for galore years.

"Unfortunately, arsenic Leonard acknowledged successful his aboriginal blameworthy plea and contiguous cooperation, his greed drove him to perpetrate bribery and to perpetrate fraud," Sprague said.

Prosecutors said Francis’ actions led to 1 of the biggest bribery investigations successful U.S. subject history, which resulted successful the condemnation and sentencing of astir 2 twelve Navy officials, defence contractors and others connected assorted fraud and corruption charges.

An enigmatic fig who was 6-foot-3 and weighed 350 pounds astatine 1 time, Francis owned and operated his family’s ship-servicing business, Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. oregon GDMA, which supplied food, h2o and substance to vessels. The Malaysian defence contractor was a cardinal interaction for U.S. Navy ships astatine ports crossed Asia for much than 2 decades. During that time, Francis wooed naval officers with Kobe beef, costly cigars, performance tickets and chaotic enactment parties astatine luxury hotels from Thailand to the Philippines.

In exchange, officers, including the archetypal active-duty admiral to beryllium convicted of a national crime, concealed the strategy successful which Francis would overcharge for supplying ships oregon complaint for fake services astatine ports helium controlled successful Southeast Asia. The officers passed him classified accusation and adjacent went truthful acold arsenic redirecting subject vessels to ports that were lucrative for his Singapore-based vessel servicing company.

In a national sting, Francis was lured to San Diego connected mendacious pretenses and arrested astatine a edifice successful September 2013. He pleaded blameworthy successful 2015, admitting that helium had offered much than $500,000 successful currency bribes to Navy officials, defence contractors and others. Prosecutors accidental helium bilked the Navy retired of astatine slightest $35 million. As portion of his plea deal, helium cooperated with the probe starring to the Navy convictions. He faced up to 25 years successful prison.

While awaiting sentencing, Francis was hospitalized and treated for renal crab and different aesculapian issues. After leaving the hospital, helium was allowed to enactment retired of jailhouse astatine a rental home, connected location apprehension with a GPS ankle show and information guards.

But 3 weeks earlier his scheduled sentencing successful September 2022, helium snipped disconnected his show and made a brazen escape, mounting disconnected an planetary search. Officials said helium fled to Mexico, made his mode to Cuba and yet got to Venezuela.

He was arrested much than 2 weeks aft his disappearance — caught earlier helium boarded a formation astatine the Simon Bolivar International Airport extracurricular Caracas. Venezuelan officials said helium intended to scope Russia.

The cases were handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office successful an effort to beryllium autarkic of the subject justness system. But they person came nether scrutiny.

The felony convictions of 4 erstwhile Navy officers were vacated pursuing allegations of prosecutorial misconduct. Sammartino agreed to let them to plead blameworthy to a misdemeanor and wage a $100 good each.

Last year, Sammartino ruled that the pb national authoritative successful the officers' lawsuit committed "flagrant misconduct" by withholding accusation from defence lawyers, but that it was not capable to disregard the case.