'Fat Leonard' Escapes House Arrest Before Sentencing In Worst US Navy Corruption Scandal

Leonard Glenn Francis, a Singapore-based maritime tycoon who is known for orchestrating one of the biggest scandals in U.S. military history, escaped house arrest in San Diego three weeks before his sentencing.

The man dubbed "Leonard the Legend" and "Fat Leonard" for his wild lifestyle and 360-pound weight is on the run after cutting off his monitoring bracelet CNN reported.

"Members from the San Diego Fugitive Task Force are searching for Francis Leonard. Also known as 'Fat Leonard', he cut off his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet on Sunday morning. Task Force Officers went to his residence and upon arrival noticed the house was now vacant," U.S. Marshals San Diego tweeted.

"As of now, Leonard Francis is wanted for violating the conditions of his pretrial release. Any information please contact the U.S. Marshals Service San Diego Office at (619) 557-6620 or go to http://usmarshals.gov to submit a tip," another tweet by the agency read.

Francis's defense attorney, Devin Burstein, refused to comment on the escape, as per CBS 8.

The military contractor was under house arrest in San Diego since at least 2018 following multiple health issues, including kidney cancer. He had removed his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet Sunday, said Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Omar Castillo, reported San Diego Union Tribune.

Francis' neighbors had witnessed U-Haul moving trucks making several trips to and from his San Diego abode, in the days leading up to his escape. "He was planning this out, that's for sure," Castillo told the publication.

He was arrested in September 2013 from a hotel during an international sting operation. Two years later, he pleaded guilty to offering $500,000 in bribes to U.S. Navy officers and funneling millions into his company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, through official work. Francis was facing a maximum of 25 years in prison.

The mastermind of the Navy bribery scheme was known to have charmed authorities with parties brimming with alcohol, food, and foreign prostitutes. Some of the gifts doled out to officers, according to court documents, included rooms at the Hong Kong Marriot that cost $626 per night, and multiple course meals at the Petrus restaurant costing $18,371 -- fully paid for by Francis.

In 2008, he hosted many sex and alcohol-fueled parties, replete with prostitutes, at the Conrad Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand; Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore; and Makati Shangri-La in Manila.

The arrangement at the Manila venue had cost him $50,000, and he had emailed a nude photograph of one of the prostitutes to a former officer named Capt. Donald Gayle Hornbeck, ahead of the party.

In exchange for the cash and other temptations, Francis was able to gain the trust of officers who after a time were blinded to the brewing fraud, reported The Washington Post.

He extracted classified information from officers and went as far as redirecting military vessels to ports that were beneficial for his ship-servicing company, with charges amounting to $35 million.

In 2017, the U.S. Navy said it was reviewing 440 active-duty and retired personnel - including 60 current and former admirals - for possible involvement in Francis's scandal. Four out of five navy officers have been found guilty in the case as of July 29, reported BBC, and 28 others have pleaded guilty so far.