A Malaysian contractor known as “Fat Leonard”, who conned the U.S. military out of tens of millions of dollars and sat at the center of a sprawling corruption scheme, has been arrested in Venezuela after fleeing house arrest earlier this month, officials announced, the latest chapter in one of the biggest scandals of its kind in U.S. military history.
By Forbes – Robert Hart
Sep 22, 2022
KEY FACTS
Leonard Glenn Francis was arrested by Venezuelan authorities at Caracas airport Tuesday morning, Venezuela’s Interpol chief Carlos Garate Rondon said in a statement posted on Instagram.
The arrest, which was confirmed by the U.S. Marshals Service, came on the eve Francis was due to be sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to a sprawling bribery scheme that implicated dozens of U.S. Navy officers.
Francis was arrested while preparing to travel onwards to Russia after entering Venezuela from Mexico via a stopover in Cuba, Rondon said.
He was detained under an Interpol “red notice” issued by U.S. authorities, which asks law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest someone with a view to possible extradition.
Francis will be handed over to Venezuelan authorities to begin extradition procedures, the Interpol chief added.
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Read More: Forbes – Navy Bribery Mastermind ‘Fat Leonard’ arrested in Venezuela after Fleeing U.S. house arrest
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