'Fat Leonard,' Navy contractor behind one of the military's biggest scandals, sentenced to 15 years
Former military defense contractor Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for masterminding a decade-long bribery scheme that swept up dozens of U.S. Navy officers
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Former military defense contractor Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for masterminding a decade-long bribery scheme that swept up dozens of U.S. Navy officers, federal prosecutors said.
U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino also ordered Francis to pay $20 million in restitution to the Navy and a $150,000 fine, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office. He was also ordered to forfeit $35 million in “ill-gotten proceeds from his crimes,” the statement said.
Prosecutors said the sentence resulted from Francis' first guilty plea in 2015 concerning bribery and fraud, his extensive cooperation with the government since then and another guilty plea Tuesday for failing to appear for his original sentencing hearing in 2022.
Shortly before he was due to be sentenced in September 2022, Francis cut off a GPS monitor he was wearing while under house arrest and fled the country. He was later arrested in Venezuela and brought back to the U.S. in December 2023.
