‘Fat Leonard’ to be returned to US from Venezuela as part of prisoner exchange

A fugitive defence contractor known as “Fat Leonard” who was at the centre of the US Navy’s worst corruption scandal will be returned to the US as part of a prisoner swap with Venezuela, Washington has announced.

The Malaysian, whose real name is Leonard Glenn Francis, has been accused by US prosecutors of plying Navy officers with cash, expensive food, cigars and rare cognac, as well as wild sex parties in luxury hotels, in exchange for contracts.

He was the subject of the podcast series Fat Leonard.

Ten Americans imprisoned in the South American country were swapped for Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Six Americans the US classifies as having been wrongfully detained, as well as four others, have now arrived back in the US.

“These individuals have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement. “I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over.”

Mr Maduro also agreed to release at least 20 opposition-linked prisoners from jail.

Francis pleaded guilty in 2015 to offering $500,000 (£396,000) in bribes to US Navy officers as part of a massive fraud and bribery scheme involving his ship-servicing company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, in Singapore.

Prosecutors allege he also redirected military vessels to ports that were lucrative for his company and overcharged the US military by more than $35m (£28m) for services.

He was placed under house arrest in 2018 while cooperating with investigators and acting as a witness for the prosecution before cutting off his GPS monitoring anklet and fleeing home custody in California in September 2022.

He was arrested by Venezuelan police attempting to board a flight from Venezuela to Russia.

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‘We won’t be anyone’s colony’

The prisoner swap will also see Mr Saab returned to Venezuela.

He was accused of siphoning off $350m (£277m) from Venezuela via the US in a scheme involving bribing Venezuelan government officials. He denies the charge against him.

Mr Maduro celebrated his return as a “triumph for truth” and added: “President Biden, we won’t be anyone’s colony.”

It was the latest concession by the Biden administration aimed at bringing home Americans who have been jailed overseas and follows an exchange with Russia that saw arms dealer Viktor Bout swapped for basketball star Brittney Griner.