Venezuelan authorities arrested this Wednesday at the Maiquetía International Airport Leonard Glenn Francis, alias “Fat Leonard”, responsible for orchestrating a notorious corruption plot in the United States Navy.
Glenn Francis had an active Interpol red alert, for being requested in the US for corruption and bribery crimes.
The Interpol office in Caracas reported that he was arrested when he was preparing to leave the country for Russia.
Leonard Glenn Francis “had entered the country from Mexico with a stopover in Cuba, and then continued with final destination to the Federative Republic of Russia,” published the Interpol Venezuela on the social network Instagram.
They added that the detainee would be handed over to the authorities to start the extradition process.
Since last September 4, when he escaped from his home prison in San Diego, USA, “Fat Leonard” has been the object of international persecution, agencies report.
In addition, the Navy Criminal Investigative Service was offering a $40,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
“Fat Leonard”: the most wanted
Leonard Glenn Francis, is a Malaysian businessman on the run who pleaded guilty in the largest corruption scandal in the history of the United States Navy.
Interpol issued a red notice against him when he escaped from house arrest just days into his sentence, after cutting an electronic ankle shackle.
“Fat Leonard” ran a military contracting company in Singapore. From there he orchestrated a vast plot of corruption for more than a decade he orchestrated. He offered bribes to US Navy officers that included gifts, cash, and wild sex parties at luxury hotels; all in exchange for helping his company, which controlled ports throughout Southeast Asia.
Glenn Francis pleaded guilty to bribery in January 2015 and agreed to forfeit $35 million in ill-gotten gains. However, he paid 5 million of that amount several years ago.
Due to a medical permit, he had been under house arrest since 2018, but fled three weeks ago without having paid the rest of the money.
The arrest of one of the most wanted fugitives by the United States for corruption, dismantles the accusations of the authorities of that country against Venezuela for allegedly promoting this type of crime.
