The announcement came shortly before his hearing in the United States on a $35 million plot which implicated dozens of Navy officers for many years. In an investigation that revealed a staggering scale of Navy corruption, Leonard Glenn Francis pleaded guilty in 2015 to bribing officials with cash, sex parties and gifts to obtain confidential information he could use to defraud the Navy. Whores, vacations and cash: Navy officials take down ‘Fat Leonard’ The latest manhunt for Francisco ended with his capture at a Caracas airport before he could leave the Venezuelan capital, Interpol’s director general for Venezuela, Carlos Garate Rodon, said Wednesday. He said the fugitive entered the country through Mexico and will be handed over to judicial authorities for extradition. The Associated Press said the US Marshals Service confirmed he was arrested. A Singapore-based businessman whose company serviced Navy ships, Francis escaped house arrest in San Diego this month by cutting off his GPS bracelet. The US Marshals Service and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service offered a combined $40,000 reward for information on his whereabouts. ‘Fat Leonard’ escapes weeks before sentencing in Navy bribery scandal US prosecutors charged him with attempting to defraud the military industry of nearly $35 million through his company, Glenn Defense Marine. Navy personnel consumed or earned about $1 million in bribes: including gourmet meals, Cuban cigars, plane tickets and a party described as a “revolving carousel of prostitutes,” according to a Washington Post investigation. In return, Francis received shipping advice and helped reroute ships to win contracts for his company in the Asia-Pacific region. The bribes also included tickets to a Lady Gaga concert, according to court documents. Leaks, feasts and sex parties: How ‘Fat Leonard’ infiltrated the Navy’s floating headquarters in Asia The scandal erupted in a sting operation in 2013 at a San Diego hotel. After pleading guilty, Francis — who was also known as “Leonard the Legend” in some Navy circles — cooperated with prosecutors building cases against others in the scheme. Criminal charges were filed against more than 30 people. Hundreds of military personnel — including about 60 admirals — came under scrutiny, with many of them later cleared of wrongdoing, The Post reported. Craig Whitlock and Mary Louise Paul contributed to this report.
