Officials say a fugitive Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard” at the center of a Navy bribery scandal was trying to head to Russia before Venezuelan authorities captured him
FILE - This undated photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows Leonard Francis. The Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard," who orchestrated one of the largest bribery scandals in U.S. military history, has been arrested in Venezuela after fleeing before his sentencing, authorities said Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. , officials say the fugitive Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed"Fat Leonard" — who orchestrated one of the U.S.
“It looks like they caught him just in time,” Rinckey said. “If he made it to Russia, I don’t believe the Russians would have turned him over to us.” . His family's ship servicing business, Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. or GDMA, supplied food, water and fuel to vessels for decades. He plied officers with Kobe beef, expensive cigars, concert tickets and wild sex parties at luxury hotels from Thailand to the Philippines. In exchange, commanders passed him classified information and steered their ships, mostly from the Navy's 7th Fleet, to ports he controlled so he could cover up as much as $35 million in fake charges.
The official said Francis intended to board a plane to the Venezuelan Caribbean Island of Margarita, which Venezuela wants to turn into a popular destination for Russian tourists because of its pristine beaches accessible by ferry or flights from the mainland. The government said last month it plans to offer five flights a week between Margarita and Moscow starting Oct. 1. Signs in Russian can already be seen at the island.
And when he does return, prosecutors indicated Francis will face an even longer sentence, asking the court to note his failure to appear at his sentencing hearing as ordered. That could add five years to his potential sentence of 25 years if he is ultimately charged for not showing up.
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‘Fat Leonard,' Fugitive Defense Contractor Convicted in Navy Bribery Case, Arrested in VenezuelaLeonard Glenn Francis, better known as “Fat Leonard,” a defense contractor who disappeared weeks before he was set to be sentenced for one of the largest bribery scandals in the nation’s military history, was taken into custody Wednesday in Venezuela,
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Fugitive in massive Navy bribery case caught in VenezuelaA Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard” who orchestrated one of the largest bribery scandals in U.S. military history has been arrested in Venezuela
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Fugitive in massive Navy bribery case caught in VenezuelaSAN DIEGO (AP) — A Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard' who orchestrated one of the largest bribery scandals in U.S. military history has been arrested in Venezuela after fleeing before his sentencing, authorities said Wednesday.
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Fugitive in massive Navy bribery case caught in VenezuelaA Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard” who orchestrated one of the largest bribery scandals in U.S. military history has been arrested in Venezuela.
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‘Fat Leonard’: Fugitive in massive Navy bribery case caught in VenezuelaA Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard” who orchestrated one of the largest bribery scandals in U.S. military history has been arrested in Venezuela after fleeing before …
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