Embarrassment for US law enforcement: The main suspect in the largest corruption case in the history of the US Navy escaped from house arrest in California after cutting off the tracking device, and there is concern that he is already in another country.
Leonard Francis, known as “Fat Leonard” due to his weight reaching more than 150 kg, was under house arrest in San Diego, and in about three weeks he was to be sentenced in a trial in which he confessed to fraud and bribery.
But on Sunday, when agents of Pretrial Services, the federal agency that oversees house arrests, arrived at Francis’ home at the request of the local police, they were astonished to find that he had cut off the GPS ankle bracelet and disappeared. The traces of his three sons who lived with him also disappeared.
Following this, an extensive manhunt was launched by law enforcement agencies, including the Navy’s Criminal Investigation Service and the Marshals Service. Alerts were posted at air and sea ports and at the nearby border with Mexico and photos of Francis were circulated on social media, but it is feared that Francis may have fled the country.
Francis, a former defense contractor with Malaysian citizenship, was arrested in 2013 as part of the most comprehensive corruption investigation in US Navy history. He admitted that he paid bribes in money, trips and prostitution services to officers in the navy to direct the ships to the ports he operated in the Far East and to receive classified information and sensitive contracts. Hundreds of sailors, including senior officers, were arrested in the case and many of them were accused of accepting bribes.