The U.S. freed an in depth ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in change for the discharge of 10 Americans imprisoned within the South American nation and the return of fugitive protection contractor Leonard Francis referred to as “Fat Leonard.” Francis is on the middle of an enormous Pentagon bribery scandal, the Biden administration introduced Wednesday.

U.S. Marshals Service/by way of AP

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U.S. Marshals Service/by way of AP

The U.S. freed an in depth ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in change for the discharge of 10 Americans imprisoned within the South American nation and the return of fugitive protection contractor Leonard Francis referred to as “Fat Leonard.” Francis is on the middle of an enormous Pentagon bribery scandal, the Biden administration introduced Wednesday.

U.S. Marshals Service/by way of AP

The infamous and as soon as portly protection contractor referred to as “Fat Leonard,” who scammed the U.S. Navy out of thousands and thousands of {dollars} for greater than a decade, is being extradited to the U.S. as a part of a prisoner swap take care of Venezuela, the White House introduced on Wednesday.

Leonard Glenn Francis, now 59, escaped from home arrest in San Diego in September 2022 after reducing off an ankle monitoring bracelet shortly earlier than a sentencing trial for his position behind one of many largest corruption scandals within the nation’s army historical past that ensnared greater than two dozen U.S. Navy officers. But his life on the run was quick lived. Francis was captured weeks later by authorities in Venezuela the place he has remained in custody till now.

“His return to the United States will now ensure that he is held fully accountable for his crime, as well as for his attempt to escape from justice,” a senior Biden administration official stated on Wednesday, including that Francis will likely be despatched to a federal detention facility to await his delayed sentencing.

What did ‘Fat Leonard’ do?

In 2015 Francis pleaded responsible to plying greater than 30 officers, together with greater than two dozen naval officers, with a slew of bribes to achieve profitable contracts for his Singapore-based firm Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd.

According to the Department of Justice, officers have been lavished with a legal potpourri of money, prostitutes, events and luxurious journey and gadgets corresponding to “Cuban cigars, Kobe beef and Spanish suckling pig.”

Francis additionally admitted to overcharging the Pentagon for made up providers. In all, the Department of Justice stated he bilked the Navy out of $35 million, main officers to name it “one of the most brazen bribery conspiracies in the U.S. Navy’s history.”

In change, officers handed over categorized and different delicate materials to Francis’ firm, which had a contract to resupply and repair Navy ships in Asia.

How did Francis escape?

After pleading responsible to the fraud and bribery fees in opposition to him, the disgraced Malaysian businessman was permitted to stay below home arrest attributable to his poor well being on the time. Under the plea deal, he might obtain medical take care of superior kidney most cancers so long as he retained round the clock non-public safety and cooperate with the Justice Department. Stars and Stripes reported Francis offered “incriminating evidence against hundreds of Navy personnel.”

But on Sept. 4, 2022, three weeks earlier than his sentencing, Francis snipped off the GPS monitoring machine round his ankle that was supposed to make sure he couldn’t flee. Neighbors in Francis’ tony neighborhood later stated that they had seen U-Haul autos coming and going from the house within the days main as much as his escape, The Associated Press reported. And when officers arrived on the fugitive’s house, they discovered no safety guards on the residence.

Francis efficiently made his means throughout the border into Mexico then caught a flight to Cuba. According to Stars and Stripes, Cuban authorities refused to let him keep within the island nation, so he made his option to Venezuela. Francis then utilized for asylum on the Russian embassy in Caracas, the outlet reported. He had not but obtained a response from Moscow when he was arrested trying to board a flight to Russia on the Caracas airport on Sept. 20, 2022.

Without diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Venezuela, Francis has been caught in limbo because the State Department and United Nations officers moved to safe his launch.

What occurs subsequent?

As of now, there isn’t any date set for Francis’ sentencing.

His plea settlement said he confronted as much as 25 years behind bars, although it was broadly anticipated that might be tremendously lowered attributable to his cooperation with prosecutors. But no matter leniency he might have earned is probably going non-existent after embarrassing the U.S. authorities along with his bolt for freedom that in flip launched a world manhunt.