Venezuela agrees to arrest, return Fat Leonard, key figure in massive military bribery scandal

Venezuela has agreed to arrest and return Leonard Francis, also known as “Fat Leonard,” the mastermind of one of the largest American military bribery scandals, as part of a prisoner swap deal reached with the U.S., according to the Biden administration.

A senior Biden administration official said Francis is expected to be on a plane later Wednesday, headed back to the U.S., where he will be detained in a federal prison facility.

The U.S. official said Francis is “one of the most notorious fugitives,” after he escaped from house arrest ahead of his trial in a case that also saw more than 30 Navy officials charged.

“His return to the United States will now ensure that he is held fully accountable for his crime, as well as for his attempt to escape from justice,” the official said.

The U.S. secured the arrest and return of Francis on Wednesday along with the release of 10 other Americans, most of whom Washington had considered wrongfully detained in Venezuela. Authorities will also release 20 Venezuelan prisoners.

In return, the U.S. is releasing Alex Saab, an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Saab was arrested in 2020 for money laundering.

U.S. officials said they worked for several months on the deal with the administration of Maduro, an adversary who has defied American sanctions and pressure. Qatar helped broker the agreement.

President Biden, who has tried with no success to push Maduro to hold free and fair elections, eased up this year on sanctions against Venezuelan oil, which may have helped pave the way for negotiations.

Returning Francis to the U.S. is a major victory for the Pentagon, which has sought to win justice in the notorious bribery case.

Francis is a former Malaysian military contractor who ran the Glenn Defense Marine Asia, a company serving the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet in the Eastern Pacific.

Federal investigators charged Francis with overcharging the supplying of the Navy and in some cases charging for fake services at ports he controlled.

He is accused of bribing dozens of officers with millions of dollars in bribes, alcohol, prostitutes, cigars, parties, and lavish meals, among other entices, in the scandal from 2004-13.

Four of those officers — Navy Capts. David Newland, James Dolan and David Lausman, as well as former Cmdr. Mario Herrera — were convicted on bribery charges but had their convictions vacated in September because of alleged prosecutorial misconduct.

Francis, who was arrested in 2013, pleaded guilty to bribery charges and was placed on house arrest. But he escaped weeks before sentencing in September 2022 by cutting off his GPS monitor and fleeing to Venezuela.

A Wall Street Journal investigation this week detailed how the U.S. has grown frustrated with various setbacks after Francis escaped and the recent overturning of the convictions for the four officers.

Updated at 3:02 p.m.