‘Fat Leonard’ could be facing additional charges in Navy bribery case

A defense contractor at the center of a major bribery case faced a federal judge in Miami following his return to the United States from Venezuela. Leonard Glenn Francis, known as “Fat Leonard,” is expected to face additional charges for failing to appear at a hearing in his ongoing bribery case in San Diego. He was arrested in a hotel nearly a decade ago as part of a federal sting operation and investigators say he bilked the U.S. military out of more than $35 million by buying off dozens of top-ranking Navy officers with booze, sex, lavish parties, and other gifts. After escaping just before a September 2022 sentencing, officials stated that he fled to Mexico, made his way to Cuba, and eventually got to Venezuela. He had been in custody there since, attempting to seek asylum. Additionally, court documents have been unsealed, showing federal prosecutors making preparations for the release of Alex Saab, a Colombian-born businessman and close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was facing money laundering charges in Miami.