Malaysian fugitive 'Fat Leonard' believed to be in Venezuela: report
A Malaysian military contractor who escaped house arrest after pleading guilty to masterminding the worst public corruption scandal in US Navy history is believed to be in Venezuela, according to two investigative journalists.
The alleged location of the whereabouts of Leonard Glenn Francis, better known as "Fat Leonard", was revealed in a weekly newsletter by journalists Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, who previously wrote about the mastermind of the 1MDB scandal Jho Low in the Billion Dollar Whale book.
"We're not interested in the money. But, like all of you who've listened to our shocking nine-part "Fat Leonard" podcast, we are interested in getting to the bottom of a story that has been covered up...but keeps getting more shocking," Wright wrote in Whale Hunting on Monday (19 September).
"Two weeks on, Whale Hunting has information that Leonard, accompanied by his adult son Leonardo, have made it to Venezuela," he added.
Last week, the US Marshals Service announced a US$40,000 reward for information leading to Francis' arrest.
Francis cut his ankle bracelet off before disappearing from his home in San Diego, California on 4 September.
Police officers found the home empty when they were alerted to the breach and neighbours reportedly said they had seen trucks going in and out of the home in previous days.
Francis was due to be sentenced on 22 September, having pleaded guilty in 2015 to bribing top US Navy officers to give him classified information and redirect military vessels to ports that were attractive for his ship-servicing company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia.
Prosecutors said Francis and his company overcharged the US military by more than US$35 million for its services.
Leonard was arrested in 2013, but released to house arrest in 2018 after suffering health problems, including kidney cancer.
Do you have a story tip? Email: malaysia.newsroom@yahooinc.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.
