PETALING JAYA: Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian defence contractor at the heart of the US Navy's most expansive bribery scandal, is making a final bid for freedom, reports The Washington Post.
From a federal prison in California, the man known as "Fat Leonard" has revealed plans to ask US President Donald Trump for a pardon or a commutation of his 15-year sentence.
As reported by thbe Post, the 61-year-old's plea hinges on two primary arguments: a terminal health diagnosis and claims of gross prosecutorial misconduct by the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
Francis was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer in 2017. Though he has outlived his initial prognosis, he told the Post that his health is deteriorating rapidly.
Currently scheduled for release in 2030, Francis expressed a grim certainty that he will not survive the remainder of his term.
"I don't know how much time I have left. I could go down anytime," he said.
Francis pointed to a judge's conclusion that federal prosecutors committed "outrageous misconduct" by withholding evidence during the investigation. This misconduct led the DOJ to drop felony charges against 10 US Navy defendants, some of whom had already confessed to taking bribes.
"I was left to take the hit because of the DOJ. DOJ literally screwed up the entire case," he told the Post.
The scandal itself spanned nearly a decade, during which Francis's company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, overbilled the US Navy by US$35mil.
He maintained his influence through a "wining and dining" strategy, providing officers with luxury travel, Cuban cigars and encounters with prostitutes in exchange for classified information and redirected ship routes.
Francis also provided new details regarding his brazen 2022 escape from house arrest in San Diego.
Just weeks before his original sentencing date, he sheared off his GPS tracking bracelet while a security guard was away from his post. In a final act of defiance, he placed a Navy watchman's hat on an Elvis Presley mannequin in his home.
"I did it so they would find Elvis on guard," he quipped.
His flight took him via Uber to Tijuana, Mexico, followed by a chartered private jet to Havana, Cuba and eventually to Caracas, Venezuela. His luck ran out when Venezuelan authorities arrested him on an Interpol alert. He was later returned to US custody in December 2023 as part of a high-profile prisoner exchange between the Biden administration and President Nicolas Maduro.
In November 2024, Francis was sentenced to 180 months in prison and ordered to forfeit US$35mil. While he remains in federal custody in Lompoc, the White House has remained non-committal regarding his request.
A spokesperson stated they are "not tracking" the request, noting that President Trump remains the "ultimate decision-maker" on all clemency actions.
