Lavish parties, bribes, and a ton of hustling, and we haven’t even gotten to the prisoner escape which will transcend across multiple countries. 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 of 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 was 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?
If you’re looking for Fat Leonard, you can find him in custody in San Diego, California. However, how we got here is more than interesting and involves an international manhunt, prison exchanges, political deals, and more. It also starts where the latest chapter ends, in America’s Finest City.
Leonard escaped from his home in the Torrey Highlands community of San Diego, a location picked allegedly because of health problems rather than imprisonment. However, 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 weren’t in focus for the disgraced CEO.
What Is the Newest Development?
Ever since Francis arrived in Venezuelan custody, the United States began working on extraditing him stateside. This would come to fruition after an elaborate deal involving many different prisoner exchanges and a possible ruse against Frances took place.
Leonard Glenn Francis thought he was home free. It was thought that he would be heading home and was in good spirits when texting family. The idea, in his head, was to receive medical treatment and then secure his freedom. 2024 was to be a new beginning as a free man, but it never happened.
While in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, Frances was being told by officials he would be free while in reality, they didn’t want him to fight the prisoner swap. For months both the U.S. and Venezuela had been working on a secret deal that would come to an apex on December 20, 2023, when an exchange occurred between the two on the Caribbean island of Canouan.
Saying hello to the States once again, Fat Leonard was brought to Miami where he will initially be held. However, they are transferring him to San Diego for sentencing. Sadly for Leonard, he’s also facing additional charges as a result of all the madness that came to be when fleeing to Mexico, Cuba, and Venezuela.
Leonard’s lawyer in Venezuela, Marco Rodriguez-Acosta, believes that his client was tricked which led to a reversal of legal strategy presenting the current situation for Francis. A key to bringing Fat Leonard back to the U.S. came when President Joe Biden granted clemency to President Nicolás Maduro’s high-profile friend Alex Saab.
The Case Continues to Evolve
There are still a lot of moving pieces to the Fat Leonard case. Currently, he is innocent until proven guilty. However, with a mix of interest from the military, Federal and state governments, and potentially other international entities, it’s safe to say that there is more than enough intrigue surrounding the case no matter what becomes of it.
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