Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
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The Malaysian businessman who pled guilty to orchestrating the largest bribery scandal in the history of the U.S. Navy, then fled to avoid sentencing, has been captured in South America.
As reported by Reuters, Leonard Francis, who at 400 pounds carries the nickname “Fat Leonard,” was arrested Wednesday by Venezuelan police at the request of the U.S. Marshals.
Interpol, the international law enforcement agency, had placed a “red notification” on Francis, meaning governments around the world were on the lookout ever since he escaped from house arrest in the U.S. two weeks ago by removing his GPS ankle device.
According to a statement from Interpol, Francis had traveled from his home in San Diego into Mexico, then to Cuba and Venezuela, with the apparent goal of reaching Russia to avoid prison time in the United States.
In its report on the Francis arrest, the Associated Press provided additional context through an interview with Greg Rinckey, a former military lawyer who hypothesized that Francis hoped to reach any country which would be unlikely to cooperate with the U.S. in an extradition process.
“It looks like they caught him just in time,” Rinckey told the AP. “If he made it to Russia, I don’t believe the Russians would have turned him over to us.”
There are no guarantees that Venezuela will agree to the United States’ request for extradition, either.
Even if President Joe Biden’s ovations to the oil-rich South American nation makes the process potentially easier than would have been the case in years past, the United States and Venezuela are hardly allies.
Strictly speaking, the U.S. does not even recognize the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a communist who has been accused of corruption and oppressing his political opponents, as legitimate.
The continued presence of U.S. sanctions, as well as a general lack of normal diplomatic relations between the two countries, further complicates the matter.
Still, the nations have shown a willingness to cooperate to a point. Last May, Venezuela released two Americans and the United States removed some of its sanctions.
Francis was to have been sentenced this week but, in his absence, U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino rescheduled sentencing to Dec. 14, a date she indicated should be taken as tentative.
“This turn of events raises several issues, and obviously will have an impact on other cases,” Sammartino said.
While his nickname has a definitive ring of humor – “Fat Leonard” sounds more like a supporting character from a sitcom than an arch criminal – Francis’ actions in the past were far from a laughing matter.
He was convicted in 2015 of having bribed Navy officials – several of whom were arrested, convicted, and face their own sentencing soon – with cash, vacations, and prostitutes in exchange for the officials steering ships to ports at which Francis’s company had interests.
Francis’ escapade was a multinational endeavor and his bribery resulted in Navy ships being steered to the likes of Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, and Manila.