‘Fat Leonard’ sentenced to prison in Navy corruption scandal

The Malaysian contractor known as “Fat Leonard” who bribed dozens of top U.S. Navy officers in the service’s worst-ever corruption scandal was sentenced to 15 years in prison Tuesday in San Diego federal court.

Leonard Glenn Francis, 60, will likely spend about 8½ more years in federal prison if he counts the credit he will receive from the time he is in custody. He could serve even less time if he is eligible for early release; But his lawyer warned the judge that a long prison sentence would be “essentially a death sentence” for Francis, who is dealing with serious health problems.

U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino also said she would order Francis to pay $20 million in restitution to the Navy, in addition to the $35 million he was previously ordered to forfeit. part of the plea agreement. He also ordered Francis’ Singapore-based company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, to pay a $36 million fine.

Francis, who spoke only a few words at the public hearing, solemnly addressed the judge and asked for mercy so he could be reunited with his children.

“I sincerely regret my misconduct that led to this day,” Francis said. “I wish the court’s mercy, tolerance and compassion.”

He attracts attention with his much more humble tone of voice compared to the arrogance and bravado he displays in an environment. secretly recorded podcast In 2021, Francis called his actions “inexcusable and wrong,” referring to both the massive bribery scheme and his own actions. Escape from house arrest 2022 just a few weeks before the previously scheduled sentencing.

He also thanked Sammartino for saving his life. releasing him on medical leave He says it’s a miracle he’s still alive in 2018. “I must thank God Almighty and the court for this,” Francis said. Sammatino said he would recommend that Francis continue his supervision at a federal medical center prison in North Carolina.

Francis was arrested in late 2013 and pleaded guilty in 2015 to charges of bribery, conspiracy to commit bribery, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. GDMA, which has contracted for 25 years to provide goods and services to Navy ships in ports across Asia, also admitted to the same charges. Francis also pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of failure to appear in connection with his escape from custody in 2022.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Sheppard told the judge Tuesday that Francis’ corruption scheme reached “the highest levels of the U.S. Navy … on a scale never seen before.” Sheppard said the 36 defendants charged in federal court are “just the tip of the iceberg.”

Francis spent decades He ingratiates himself with a rotating cast of officers from the Navy’s 7th Fleet in the Western Pacific. Dating back to at least 2004, but likely much longer, the man showered these officers with bribes, including gourmet meals, five-star hotel rooms, premium spirits, prostitutes, designer handbags and cash. Officers also directed ships to Southeast Asian ports that he controlled. Francis then forced the U.S. government to grossly inflate the prices of services such as security, tugboats, food, water supplies, and garbage collection. He allegedly defrauded the government of at least $35 million.

Sammartino, who has overseen nearly all of the related investigations over the past 11 years, called Francis’ corruption in the Navy “insidious” and said he helped tarnish the reputation of normally respected officers.

“Careers have been ruined and lives have been shattered,” the judge said. “The lives destroyed include yours.”

Francis has two weeks to appeal Sammartino’s sentence; That sentence was more than three years longer than prosecutors recommended and six years longer than Francis’ attorney requested. Defense attorney Douglas Sprague told the Union-Tribune he was “very disappointed” in the decision but should have consulted with Francis before deciding whether to appeal.

The long-awaited hearing was attended by U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath and dozens of federal law enforcement officials who have investigated Francis over the years. More than 11 years have passed since agents arrested Francis and 3,582 days since he confessed to the crime. During this time, Francis played a leading role in the most dramatic developments in the Navy’s corruption investigation.

it happened government’s key witnessHe secured what prosecutors called “unprecedented” cooperation over the course of 65 meetings. Then with one move kept secret for monthsSammartino released him from custody for treatment of kidney cancer and other ailments. Shortly thereafter, Francis used his medical leave to move himself and his family to a hospital. $7,000 monthly mansion.

While living the big life in a million dollar house, secretly recorded a podcast With journalist Tom Wright, who was released months before he was expected to take the witness stand in the case against five Navy officers. He never took the stand. Weeks before he is finally due to be sentenced in September 2022, he ran awayHe cuts off his GPS ankle monitor and runs away. He spent 14 months in prison after being caught in Venezuela. traded back to the US last year as part of a prisoner swap.

Sammartino confirmed Tuesday that, despite previous confusion, Francis will receive time-based credit for his prison stay in Venezuela for his arrest and detention at the behest of the U.S. government.

However, the judge expressed concern about the lack of response and accountability for his escape. “Neither you nor the government have explained how this escape took place,” he said.

Sammartino told Francis that he was skilled at identifying vulnerable people and exploiting their vulnerabilities, but he also thanked Francis and his company for fulfilling their contracts even when they were overpaid by keeping Navy ships and U.S. military personnel safe.

Sammartino also thanked Francis for his cooperation with prosecutors. Sheppard called Francis’ corruption as surprising, but called his cooperation “equally surprising” and said he did not know of another defendant who provided as much information to investigators and prosecutors.

The information provided by Francis led authorities to investigate nearly 1,000 Navy personnel and refer more than 600 of them to a Navy body tasked with deciding whether to dole out administrative or disciplinary action. Prosecutors indicted or secured jury convictions for more than 30 people, most of them Navy officers who took bribes from Francis; However, government lawyers later admitted that these people were not guilty. serious problems Prosecutions, including misdemeanor charges, that resulted in eight defendants having their felony convictions reduced to misdemeanors and one defendant sentenced to prison his case was completely dismissed.

Even after Tuesday’s sentencing, some other questions still remain About the widespread corruption scandal, particularly about whether Francis will appeal his sentence and pay his debts to the government in damages and compensation. “I have no idea about his ability to pay,” Sheppard told the judge Tuesday.

In his recorded podcast, Francis appeared to brag about hiding his assets in the time between his arrest and his guilty plea.

Francis’ wealth was at the center of the corruption scheme. He constantly demonstrated this wealth by living in a 40,000-square-foot house in Singapore with a fleet of luxury vehicles and a team of employees to take care of his needs.

Although his bribery and corruption were an open secret among 7th Fleet sailors, Francis managed to stay one step ahead of investigators for years, at one point bribing a Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent to leak details about criminal investigations to him.

The stunning corruption scheme finally came to an end in September 2013, when authorities tricked the NCIS mole into thinking the most serious investigations were closed and then invited Francis to San Diego for a meeting with Navy officials. Following the meeting, armed federal agents burst into Francis’ hotel room on the 21st floor of the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina and arrested him.

First Publication Date: November 5, 2024 10:32 PST