Lavish parties, bribes, and a ton of hustling. While it sounds like a great premise for an American crime drama, the Fat Leonard corruption scandal is all too real. It centers on a man nicknamed Fat Leonard, and the inner workings of everyone involved continue to be investigated throughout the U.S. Navy. The Fat Leonard scandal is a black eye for Sailors and the branch as a whole, especially as more details continue to unfold. The latest involves vacating felony charges for Sailors who were part of the Navy bribery Fat Leonard was involved in. Here’s how the $35 million fraud came to be.
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Who is Fat Leonard?
Fat Leonard is the nickname of Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) CEO, President Leonard Glenn Francis, the man at the heart of a massive Navy bribe scandal. This would include several bribes going to Officers serving in the United States 7th Fleet.
They say money is the root of all evil and this scandal adds legitimacy to that claim. If you can think of something illicit, it was probably at least in some small way included in the bribes and debauchery. Now the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is stepping in. However, piecing together the details and administering justice is complex.
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Breaking Down the Navy Scandal
The Fat Leonard scandal is an ongoing investigation into corruption within the U.S. Navy during the 2000s and 2010s, involving GDMA, a ship support contractor, and the 7th Fleet. Fat Leonard bribed numerous Officers with cash, travel expenses, luxury items, parties, and prostitutes in exchange for classified information.
This information would include the details of U.S. ship movements, contract details, and law enforcement investigations. Furthermore, Fat Leonard manipulated this information for personal profit, diverting Navy assets to Southeast Asian ports under his control.
The conspiracy began around 2006, by recruiting Navy personnel to engage in corrupt practices, favoring GDMA over competitors, and obstructing oversight into the activities. Specifically, the filing of criminal charges targeted 33 individuals, including Francis and Navy officials, with 22 pleading guilty.
However, it’s important to reiterate that this is an ongoing investigation involving NCIS. There are still multiple officers awaiting trial and facing court-martials under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Francis was granted a medical furlough for health issues in 2018. Years later, he was eluding authorities. In September 2022, the Fat Leonard escape was on; however, he was finally captured in Venezuela while on his way to Russia.
But the investigation continues to face challenges, including whistleblower warnings that went unheeded and interference within the Navy’s Inspector General’s office and NCIS. Consequently, this allows GDMA’s corrupt practices to continue. Multiple investigations were opening and closing without action against the company, paving the way for more fraudulent activities.
Vacating Felony Charges For Naval Officers
Various felonies have a connection to the Fat Leonard corruption scandal. Now, the vacating of charges begins. This new development comes after seeing many issues with the over justice system involving their cases. There have been four former Navy Officers who are now pleading guilty to misdemeanors and will no longer be felons. For this reason, they will have to pay a $100 fine each.
The vacating of felonies is occurring for former Captains David Newland, David Lausman, James Dolan, and Commander Mario Herrera. Each were serving in the 7th Fleet and three have confessed to providing Francis with information. Lausman admitted to destroying a hard drive with a hammer. Significantly, this development comes in light of the lack of belief in the credibility of the trial witnesses.
Where is Fat Leonard?
After he escaped from his home in the Torrey Highlands community of San Diego, a location picked allegedly because of health problems rather than imprisonment, Francis was eventually caught in Venezuela where he remains in custody.
The escape was a failed attempt to make it to Russia where Leonard could cut off his ankle monitor and head to South America. Sadly for Fat Leonard, Caribbean vibes, stunning waterfalls, and delicious arepas aren’t in focus for the disgraced CEO. The U.S. is working on extraditing him for trial.
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