Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis, a former military defense contractor, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for orchestrating a bribery scheme that involved numerous U.S. Navy officers. His sentence also includes a $20 million restitution to the Navy and a $150,000 fine. Francis has been cooperating with the government since his guilty plea in 2015. He recently faced additional charges for failing to appear for his original sentencing hearing in 2022. Despite facing up to 25 years in prison, his cooperation reduced his sentence to 15 years.
Francis was the mastermind behind a bribery scandal that led to the conviction of nearly two dozen Navy officials and defense contractors for fraud and corruption. He provided Navy officers with lavish gifts and extravagant parties in exchange for information and preferential treatment for his family’s ship-servicing business, GDMA. The scandal involved overcharging for services and charging for fake services at ports controlled by Francis in Southeast Asia.
After being arrested in 2013, Francis pleaded guilty to offering cash bribes and admitted to defrauding the Navy of at least $35 million. He escaped house arrest in 2022 but was later apprehended in Venezuela before he could flee to Russia. Despite facing numerous health issues, including renal cancer, Francis was sentenced to serve more than 13 1/2 years for bribery and fraud, plus an additional 16 months for failing to appear.
The case has sparked controversy due to allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, resulting in the vacating of some felony convictions. Despite these challenges, U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath emphasized that justice had been served in the sentencing of Leonard Francis.
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