Tag: U.S Navy

Fat Leonard Returns to the U.S. to Face Justice.

Today, as part of a prisoner exchange deal, Leonard Francis, better known as Fat Leonard, has been extradited to the U.S. from Venezuela to face justice. According to the Washington Post, Francis was returned to the U.S. along with ten other U.S. citizens who were imprisoned in Venezuela. While Francis had not committed any crimes in Venezuela, the Maduro government had detained him on the off chance a prison swap with the U.S. ever seemed feasible. According to a report by CNN, In exchange for Francis, the U.S. issued clemency to Alex Saab, a financier with close links to Maduro, who was wanted on money laundering charges by the U.S. government. It has been a long road, but finally, Francis will face U.S. justice and spend a long time in prison. 

The Capture of “Fat Leonard.”

Recently, Venezuelan police captured Leonard Glenn Francis, better known as “Fat Leonard,” after he fled from his San Diego home while under house arrest. Francis, a Malaysian defense contractor was involved in a massive 35-million-dollar bribery and fraud scandal. Earlier this month, according to The Guardian’s Edward Helmore, Francis, who is due to be sentenced for his part in the scandal, cut off his ankle bracelet and left the U.S with the possible intention of going to Asia or Russia. Fat Leonard was brazen in his methods for winning lucrative U.S Navy contracts. He would host lavish parties for members of the U.S. navy in Asian ports, wining and dining the right people to gain preferential treatment in the bidding for resupplying contracts.

On the 27th of September of last year, Aljazeera reported that Fat Leonard has kidney cancer and was attempting to apply for political asylum in Venezuela. According to the report, it has been suggested by the State Department that the socialist government in Venezuela, led by Nicolas Maduro could use him as a bargaining chip to reduce U.S. sanctions. According to PBS, the sanctions toward Venezuela prevent U.S banks from dealing with the Venezuelan government or the state oil firm PDVSA.  While the U.S does have an extradition treaty with Venezuela, it does not have an embassy in Caracas, which could make any deal more complicated.