KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian fugitive contractor Leonard Glenn “Fat Leonard” Francis has supposedly made his way to Venezuela, according to investigative journalists and Project Brazen co-founders Tom Wright and Bradley Hope.
In their weekly newsletter Whale Hunting today, the duo asserted that they have “information” on Francis being in the Latin American country after he had cut off his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet and fled home arrest in San Diego, California earlier this month.
“Two weeks on, and Whale Hunting has information that Leonard, accompanied by his adult son Leonardo, have made it to Venezuela,” they said.
While stating that they “cannot detail” the source of their knowledge, they assured that “(the information) is solid as of this weekend.”
The pair also suggested that Francis, who is facing imprisonment for offering bribes to US naval officers in exchange for lucrative supply contracts, might possibly be heading to Brazil, based on speculations by a former US official who had investigated the scandal.
Francis is said to have begun his career of corrupting the US military when he was invited to an Independence Day celebration held by the US Embassy in Malaysia where he met with naval officers and attaches.
On September 6, it was reported that Penang-born Francis was on the run, just three weeks before he was supposed to begin his potentially up to 25-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to being involved in what is said to be the US Navy’s worst corruption scandal.
On September 16, it was reported that one of the five US Navy officers embroiled in the scandal – former rear admiral Bruce Loveless – is now off the hook after San Diego federal prosecutors dismissed his charges.
Four other officers – former commander Mario Herrera and former captains David Newland, James Dolan and David Lausman – were convicted of conspiracy, bribery and other charges.
Besides accusations of being feted with expensive meals, luxury hotel rooms and entertainment by prostitutes that were paid for by Francis, prosecutors also claimed that the defendants had accepted bribes to provide Francis with classified information.
They were also accused of abusing their navy positions to ensure ships berthing at ports were serviced by Francis’ Singapore-based company, Glenn Defence Marine Asia.
The company allegedly overcharged the US Navy by more than US$35 million (RM147 million).
The United States Marshal Service (USMS) has since offered a US$40,000 reward for information leading to Francis’ arrest while 10 US federal state and local agencies have been ordered to hunt for him. – The Vibes, September 19, 2022
