Convicted Navy Contractor 'Fat Leonard' Seeks Pardon From President Trump

Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian national known as 'Fat Leonard,' is seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump following his November 2024 sentencing to 180 months in prison for bribery and fraud against the U.S. Navy. The Independent reported that Francis, 61, overcharged the Navy $35 million for fuel, tugboats, and sewage disposal services through his company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, which held $200 million in federal contracts.

He bribed officers with luxury items including champagne, Cuban cigars, and hotel stays. An investigation identified 10 Navy officers, half of whom admitted leaking classified information in exchange for bribes including encounters with prostitutes. Felony charges against the officers were later dropped.

Francis escaped house arrest in San Diego in 2022 by cutting off his GPS tracker while a security guard was away. He left a Navy watchman's hat on an Elvis mannequin at his home, took an Uber to Tijuana, and flew on a chartered jet via Havana to Caracas, Venezuela. A Cuban customs agent allowed him to board despite an Interpol alert.

Venezuelan authorities arrested him in 2023 and handed him over to U.S. officials in December 2023 in exchange for a Maduro ally held in Miami on money laundering charges. Francis had been diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer in 2017.

He was sentenced in November 2024 to 180 months, ordered to pay $20 million in restitution, and required to forfeit $35 million. Accounting for time served, he is scheduled for release in late 2030. His appeal for early release due to cancer was denied in January.

Francis told the Washington Post his escape "wasn’t rocket science" and cited government negligence. " A White House official stated, "The White House is not tracking this individual’s supposed request" regarding the pardon appeal.