PETALING JAYA: Malaysian fugitive protection contractor “Fat Leonard” is believed to be in Venezuela after fleeing the United States, says media Tom Wright plus Bradley Hope.
The two have said through their worldwide journalism and creation studio Project Brazen that Leonard Glenn Francis – that is facing imprisonment in america for offering bribes to US naval officers in exchange with regard to lucrative supply contracts – is in Venezuela with his son.
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In their weekly e-newsletter Whale Hunting, the duo said that they have got ‘information’ on Francis being in the country right after he cut off his GPS monitoring ankle joint bracelet and fled home arrest in San Diego, California previously this month.
He currently includes an US$40, 000 (RM180, 000) bounty on his head by the US Marshals Service and it is said to have been sighted in the South American country.
“Two weeks on, Whale Hunting has details that Leonard, associated with his adult boy Leonardo, have made this to Venezuela, ” they added.
While declining to detail the source of the knowledge, they assured that the information “is solid as of this weekend”.
Francis is also believed to be heading to Brazil, based on speculation by a former US recognized who had looked into the scandal.
He is said to have got begun his profession of corrupting the united states military when he or she was invited to an Independence Day celebration held by the ALL OF US Embassy in Malaysia where he met along with naval officers plus attaches.
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On Sept 6, it was reported that the Penang-born Francis was on the run, just three weeks before he has been supposed to begin his potentially up to 25-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in order to being involved in what is said to be the US Navy’s worst corruption scandal.
On Sept 16, it was reported that one of the five US Navy officers embroiled in the scandal, former Rear Admiral Bruce Loveless, is currently off the hook after San Diego federal prosecutors dismissed his fees.
Four various other officers, former commander Mario Herrera plus former captains Brian Newland, James Dolan and David Lausman were convicted of conspiracy, bribery along with other charges.
Apart from accusations of being feted with expensive foods, luxury hotel rooms plus entertainment by prostitutes that were paid for simply by Francis, prosecutors also claimed that the defendants had accepted bribes to provide Francis with classified information.
They were also offender of abusing their particular navy positions to make sure ships berthing with ports were maintained by Francis’ Singapore-based company, Glenn Protection Marine Asia.
The company allegedly overcharged the US Navy by more than US$35mil (RM147mil).
The United States Marshal Service (USMS) provides since offered an US$40, 000 incentive for information resulting in Francis’ arrest while 10 US federal state and nearby agencies have been ordered to hunt for him.