[UPDATED] M’sian in US Navy’s worst corruption scandal on the run: reports

KUALA LUMPUR – A Malaysian who is facing imprisonment for offering bribes to US naval officers in exchange for lucrative supply contracts has escaped from house arrest in San Diego.

According to US media reports, Leonard Glenn Francis, a Penangite, is on the run with some in law enforcement circles believing he may already be in neighbouring Mexico. 

He had previously pleaded guilty to involvement in what is said to be the US Navy’s worst corruption scandal. He is now reportedly on the run, just three weeks before he is supposed to begin his prison sentence.

It is reported that he was on house arrest due to several health issues.

Francis had cut off his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet sometime on Sunday, Supervisory Deputy US Marshal Omar Castillo was quoted as saying.

Local police made the discovery when they performed a welfare check on Francis, after being contacted by the federal agency monitoring the individual.

San Diego police officers found his home empty, Castillo said. 

The US Marshals Office has activated the San Diego Regional Fugitive Task Force to begin the high-profile manhunt.

Nicknamed “Fat Leonard”, he had earlier pleaded guilty to orchestrating an elaborate scam to swindle US Navy by overcharging when he supplied various items to the fleet’s battleships from frigates to carriers which had docked at Singapore for resupplies.

He was slated to be sentenced in three weeks.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that three of Francis’ children had been living with him, but it was unclear if they were as Sunday.

His defence attorney, Devin Burstein, declined to comment yesterday when reached by phone, the newspaper reported on its website.

He not only supplied essentials such as oil and food but reportedly also arranged sex workers for top US Navy personnel in a case which embarrassed the US government.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), which spearheaded the massive case against Francis more than a decade ago, is also assisting in the search for him.

Neighbours told authorities that they had seen U-haul moving trucks going in and out of Francis’ home in the days leading up to his escape, Castillo said.

“He was planning this out, that’s for sure,” Castillo was quoted as saying.

Francis was arrested in San Diego in 2013 and pleaded guilty in 2015, admitting to bribing several high-ranking naval officers and swindling the Navy out of at least US$35 million (RM147 million at the present exchange rate) in overcharges.

While confined to a home in San Diego, Leonard worked as a cooperating witness for the prosecutors, who built cases against several others involved, including naval officials.

The US federal prosecutors had reportedly filed criminal charges against 33 people in connection with the Fat Leonard scandal. 

Leonard apparently began his career of corrupting the US military when he was invited to a July 4 celebration held by the US Embassy in Malaysia where he met with naval officers and attaches. – The Vibes, September 6, 2022