The Malaysian contractor referred to as “Fats Leonard,” who bribed dozens of high-ranking U.S. Military officials within the carrier’s worst-ever corruption scandal, was once sentenced Tuesday in San Diego federal courtroom to fifteen years in jail.Leonard Glenn Francis, 60, will most probably spend about 8½ extra years in federal jail when accounting for the credit score he’ll obtain from the time he has already been held in custody. He may serve even much less if he qualifies for early unlock, although his legal professional warned the pass judgement on {that a} long jail time period can be “necessarily a loss of life sentence” for Francis, who has handled critical well being problems.U.S. District Pass judgement on Janis Sammartino additionally indicated she would order Francis to pay $20 million in restitution to the Military on most sensible of the $35 million he was once up to now ordered to forfeit as a part of his plea settlement. Moreover, she ordered Francis’ Singapore-based corporate, Glenn Protection Marine Asia, to pay a $36 million high quality.Francis, who has handiest ever mentioned a handful of phrases in open courtroom, somberly addressed the pass judgement on and requested for mercy so he may well be reunited along with his youngsters.
An undated photograph of Leonard Glenn Francis, aka Fats Leonard. (Acquired via The Washington Publish)“I sincerely be apologetic about my misconduct that ended in this present day,” Francis mentioned. “I encourage for the courtroom’s mercy, leniency and compassion.”Placing a markedly extra humble tone in comparison to the confidence and bravery he displayed in a podcast that he secretly recorded in 2021, Francis referred to as his movements “inexcusable and fallacious,” referring each to the large bribery scheme in addition to his 2022 break out from space arrest simply weeks prior to a up to now scheduled sentencing.He additionally credited Sammartino for saving his lifestyles via liberating him on scientific furlough in 2018, announcing it’s a miracle he’s nonetheless alive. “I’ve almighty God and the courtroom to thank for that,” Francis mentioned. Sammatino mentioned she would suggest that Francis serve his custody in a federal scientific middle jail in North Carolina.Francis was once arrested in overdue 2013 and pleaded to blame in 2015 to fees of bribery, conspiracy to dedicate bribery and conspiracy to defraud america. GDMA, which shrunk to offer items and products and services to Military vessels for 25 years in ports throughout Asia, pleaded to blame to the similar fees. Francis additionally pleaded to blame Tuesday to a price of failure to look associated with his flight from custody in 2022.Assistant U.S. Legal professional Fred Sheppard instructed the pass judgement on Tuesday that Francis’ corruption scheme reached the “easiest ranges of the U.S. Military … to an extent that hasn’t ever been noticed prior to.” Sheppard mentioned the 36 defendants charged in federal courtroom have been “simply the top of the iceberg.”Francis spent a long time ingratiating himself with a rotating forged of officials from the Military’s seventh Fleet within the Western Pacific. Courting again no less than as early as 2004 however most probably for much longer, he showered the ones officials with bribes that incorporated connoisseur foods, five-star lodge rooms, top rate liquor, prostitutes, dressmaker baggage and money. The officials in flip prompt ships to the Southeast Asian ports that he managed. Francis then charged the U.S. executive closely inflated costs for products and services akin to safety, tugboats, meals, water replenishment and trash removing. He bilked the federal government out of no less than $35 million, in step with his plea.Sammartino, who has overseen just about all the comparable prosecutions over the last 11 years, referred to as Francis’ corruption of the Military “insidious” and mentioned he helped tarnish the reputations of differently revered officials.“Careers had been ruined and lives shattered,” the pass judgement on mentioned. “The ruined lives come with yours.”Francis has two weeks to attraction Sammartino’s sentence, which was once greater than 3 years longer than what prosecutors beneficial and greater than six years longer than what Francis’ legal professional asked. Protection legal professional Douglas Sprague instructed the Union-Tribune that he was once “very disillusioned” within the sentence however would wish to talk over with Francis prior to figuring out whether or not to attraction.U.S. Legal professional Tara McGrath and dozens of federal regulation enforcement brokers who investigated Francis over time have been amongst those that attended the listening to, which was once a very long time coming. It were greater than 11 years since brokers arrested Francis and three,582 days since his to blame plea. Right through that point, Francis performed a lead function in probably the most dramatic twists within the Military corruption prosecution.He become the important thing witness for the federal government, offering what prosecutors referred to as “unparalleled” cooperation over the process 65 conferences. Then in a transfer that was once stored secret for months, Sammartino launched him from custody to be handled for kidney most cancers and different diseases. Quickly, Francis had used the scientific furlough to transport himself and his circle of relatives right into a $7,000-per-month mansion.
The home that Leonard Glenn Francis, aka “Fats Leonard,” was once renting prior to he reduce his ankle bracelet and vanished at the morning of Sept. 4, 2022, is proven at middle on Collins Ranch Position within the Torrey Highlands group of San Diego. (John Gastaldo / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)Whilst residing huge within the multimillion-dollar house, he secretly recorded a podcast with journalist Tom Wright that was once launched months prior to he was once anticipated to take the witness stand in an ordeal in opposition to 5 Military officials. He by no means took the stand. Then weeks prior to he was once in any case set to be sentenced in September 2022, he absconded, chopping off his GPS ankle observe and going at the lam. After his seize in Venezuela, he spent 14 months imprisoned prior to he was once traded again to the U.S. remaining 12 months as a part of a prisoner change.Sammartino showed Tuesday, in spite of prior confusion, that Francis would obtain time-served credit score for his Venezuelan jail keep as a result of he was once arrested and held on the behest of the U.S. executive.However the pass judgement on expressed issues concerning the loss of solutions and responsibility associated with his absconding. “Neither you nor the federal government have defined how that break out befell,” she mentioned.Sammartino instructed Francis he had a ability for figuring out prone folks and exploiting their weaknesses, however she additionally credited Francis and his corporate for upholding their contracts, even if they have been overcharging, via holding Military ships and U.S. army staff protected.Sammartino additionally credited Francis for his cooperation with prosecutors. Sheppard described Francis’ corruption as staggering, however his cooperation as “similarly staggering,” announcing he didn’t know of some other prison defendant who has ever equipped as a lot perception to investigators and prosecutors.The guidelines equipped via Francis led government to analyze some 1,000 Military staff and refer greater than 600 of them to a Military frame tasked with figuring out whether or not to dole out administrative or disciplinary motion. Prosecutors secured to blame pleas or jury convictions in opposition to greater than 30 folks, maximum of them Military officials who took bribes from Francis, although executive lawyers later admitted to severe problems involving the prosecutions, together with trial misconduct, that led to 8 defendants having their prison convictions decreased to misdemeanors and one defendant having his case completely pushed aside.Even after Tuesday’s sentencing, a number of different questions nonetheless stay concerning the sprawling corruption scandal, maximum particularly whether or not Francis will attraction his sentence and whether or not he’ll pay what he owes in forfeiture and restitution to the federal government. “I don’t have any insights into his skill to pay,” Sheppard instructed the pass judgement on Tuesday.
Leonard Glenn Francis, sometimes called “Fats Leonard.” (U.S. Marshals Carrier)Within the podcast he recorded, Francis looked as if it would boast about hiding his belongings within the time between his arrest and his to blame plea.Francis’ wealth was once on the middle of his corruption scheme. He repeatedly flashed that wealth, residing in a 40,000-square-foot space in Singapore with a fleet of luxurious cars at his disposal and a workforce of staff tending to his wishes.In spite of his bribery and corruption being an open secret amongst seventh Fleet sailors, Francis was once ready to stick one step forward of investigators for years, at one level bribing a Naval Prison Investigative Carrier agent to leak him information about prison probes.The beautiful corruption scheme in any case got here to an lead to September 2013, when government tricked his NCIS mole into considering probably the most severe investigations were closed after which invited Francis to San Diego for a gathering with Military officers. After the assembly, armed federal brokers burst into Francis’ Twenty first-floor lodge room on the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina and arrested him.
At the beginning Printed: November 5, 2024 at 10:32 AM PST
