A MALAYSIAN military contractor dubbed as the mastermind of the worst public corruption scandal in US Navy history is on the run.
Penang-born Leonard Glenn Francis (better known as “Fat Leonard” due to his girth) absconded from his San Diego home on Sunday morning (Sept 4) where he was under house arrest, just three weeks away from being sentenced in the case.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the authorities monitoring Francis were alerted to an anomaly with his GPS monitoring bracelet, leading his attorneys to go and check on him as he has a history of health issues.
When the lawyers realised Francis was not answering their knocks or messages, they contacted the police, who eventually found the home empty – save for the sheared GPS bracelet.
The paper quoted Supervisory Deputy US Marshal Omar Castillo as saying he was certain Francis was planning his escape, pointing to neighbours who said they saw U-haul moving trucks going in and out of Francis’ home in the days leading up to his escape.
The relevant US authorities have since launched a high-profile manhunt for Francis, with alerts to be placed at international borders and airports.
Castillo added that investigators have also been told to see if the U-haul trucks show up on licence plate readers throughout San Diego or at US-Mexico border crossings.
Even so, Castillo acknowledged that Francis may have already entered Mexico by now.
Arrested
In 2013, Francis was arrested in a San Diego hotel as part of a US federal sting.
He was hauled to court for allegedly bribing US Navy officials for their influence and access to military intelligence, allowing him to earn millions from the contracts.
He did this through his military contracting firm Glenn Defence Marine Asia, operating out of Singapore, providing food, fuel and security to the US Navy, its Seventh Fleet in particular.
In 2015, Francis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe and swindling the US Navy out of at least US$35 mil in overcharges. His corporation has also admitted wrongdoing.
Due to health issues (including kidney cancer), Francis was released on medical furlough and has been on house arrest since at least 2018, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
His sentencing was put off for years as he assisted US prosecutors in building cases against several others involved in the scheme. To date, four others have been convicted.
With Francis’ usefulness to the US prosecutors seemingly reaching an end, Francis was slated to be charged with his own charges on Sept 22. – Sept 6, 2022
Main pic credit: San Diego Union Tribune
