A navy contractor who served because the architect behind the “Fat Leonard” Navy scandal has been captured in Venezuela after he went on the lam earlier this month, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed to CBS News Wednesday night time.
Leonard Francis, who goes by the nickname “Fat Leonard,” was detained on an Interpol pink discover at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas whereas boarding a flight to Cuba, the U.S. Marshals Service instructed CBS News.
Leonard had been beneath home arrest in San Diego, and was days away from being sentenced, when he reduce off his ankle bracelet in early September and fled.
U.S. Marshals had believed Leonard had fled south into Mexico after slicing off his monitoring bracelet.
Francis was first arrested in San Diego in 2013 and pleaded responsible in 2015 to providing $500,000 in bribes to Navy officers. In alternate, the officers handed him labeled information and even went as far as redirecting navy vessels to ports that had been profitable for his Singapore-based ship servicing firm. Francis, in accordance with prosecutors, overcharged the U.S. navy by $35 million for his firm’s providers.
According to his 2015 plea settlement, Francis recognized seven Navy officers who had accepted bribes and acknowledged paying off officers with a whole bunch of 1000’s in money, in addition to luxurious items value hundreds of thousands. He equipped them with prostitutes and Cuban cigars, luxurious journey, Spanish suckling pigs and Kobe beef. Officials acquired spa therapies, top-shelf alcohol, designer purses, leather-based items, designer furnishings, watches, fountain pens, decorative swords and handmade ship fashions, in accordance with courtroom paperwork.
Over 30 Navy officers and contractors have both been convicted or pleaded responsible to costs associated to Francis’ providers.
At instances weighing in at greater than 400 kilos, Francis was colloquially referred to as “Fat Leonard.”
Francis was beneath home arrest since at the least 2018 and beneath the supervision of a federal company, Pre-Trial Services, that screens defendants who’re out of custody till sentencing. Prior to his disappearance, he had been scheduled to be sentenced on the finish of September, and confronted as much as 25 years behind bars.
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