Authorities have revealed that one of the largest fugitive contractors in the US navy’s worst corruption scandal has been arrested.

The US Marshals Service said that Leonard Glenn Francis, nicknamed “Fat Leonard”, was about to board an aeroplane for another country when he was arrested.

Accused of bribing US navy officers, Francis was under home arrest in San Diego when he cut off his GPS ankle bracelet and escaped on 4 September.

As a result, a $40,000 reward for his arrest was issued along with a red notice allowing the possibility of extradition.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/true-crime-podcasts-documentaries-and-shows-that-changed-the-course-of-justice-518755" hreflang="en">True Crime: Podcasts, documentaries, and shows that changed the course of justice</a>

In 2015, Francis pleaded guilty to overcharging the Navy by at least $35 million for servicing ships and offered more than $500,000 in bribes to navy officials.

According to prosecutors, officers involved in the scam called themselves the Lion’s King Harem.

While he cooperated with the prosecution, Francis had been allowed to remain in home confinement to receive medical care.

Out of the 34 defendants, 33 were convicted with the help of Francis while four navy officers were found guilty in relation to the scandal.

(With inputs from agencies)

Watch WION's live TV here:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Authorities have revealed that one of the largest fugitive contractors in the US navy’s worst corruption scandal has been arrested. The US Marshals Service said that Leonard Glenn Francis, nicknamed “Fat Leonard”, was about to board an aeroplane for another country when he was arrested.

Authorities have revealed that one of the largest fugitive contractors in the US navy’s worst corruption scandal has been arrested. The US Marshals Service said that Leonard Glenn Francis, nicknamed “Fat Leonard”, was about to board an aeroplane for another country when he was arrested. Accused of bribing US navy officers, Francis was under home arrest in San Diego when he cut off his GPS ankle bracelet and escaped on 4 September. As a result, a $40,000 reward for his arrest was issued along with a red notice allowing the possibility of extradition. Also read | True Crime: Podcasts, documentaries, and shows that changed the course of justice In 2015, Francis pleaded guilty to overcharging the Navy by at least $35 million for servicing ships and offered more than $500,000 in bribes to navy officials. According to prosecutors, officers involved in the scam called themselves the Lion’s King Harem. While he cooperated with the prosecution, Francis had been allowed to remain in home confinement to receive medical care. Out of the 34 defendants, 33 were convicted with the help of Francis while four navy officers were found guilty in relation to the scandal. (With inputs from agencies) Watch WION's live TV here: ×

After fleeing his sentencing, fugitive contractor in US navy’s worst corruption scandal arrested in Venezuela

The US Marshals Service informed on Monday (September 5) that a military contractor Leonard Glenn Francis, widely known as "Fat Leonard" has escaped house arrest in San Diego.

The US Marshals Service informed on Monday (September 5) that a military contractor Leonard Glenn Francis, widely known as "Fat Leonard" has escaped house arrest in San Diego. Francis is at the centre of a major US Navy bribery scandal and his escape is apparently an embarrassment for the US Marshals Service and other law enforcement agencies. Supervisory Deputy US Marshal Omar Castillo told AFP in a statement: "Leonard Francis cut off his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet Sunday morning." Francis, who is a Malaysian businessman, escaped ahead of his impending sentencing on September 22. He ran a military contracting company out of Singapore. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to offering some $500,000 in bribes to Navy officers. The bribe was given to steer official work to his shipyards, carrying out work on US vessels. He was arrested in 2013. The prosecutors have said that his company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, overcharged the Navy by an estimated $35 million. The scandal is known as "Fat Leonard". The official said that police were sent to his San Diego residence on Sunday after the agency monitoring his ankle bracelet reported a problem with the device. "Upon arrival, they noticed that nobody was home. They then notified US Marshals who went to the house and verified that he was no longer there. As of now multiple leads are being investigated," Castillo said. A report by the San Diego Union-Tribune mentioned that the cut-off GPS bracelet was found in the house, while neighbours said they had seen U-Haul moving trucks coming and going at the property in the days leading up to his escape. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

'Fat Leonard': Military contractor at centre of US Navy bribery scandal escapes house arrest

leonard-glenn-francis

Leonard Glenn Francis, News on Leonard Glenn Francis, stories on Leonard Glenn Francis, articles on Leonard Glenn Francis, Leonard Glenn Francis stories at Wion, Leonard Glenn Francis news, Leonard Glenn Francis latest news

leonard glenn-francis

After fleeing his sentencing, fugitive contractor in US navy’s worst corruption scandal arrested in Venezuela

'Fat Leonard': Military contractor at centre of US Navy bribery scandal escapes house arrest