Fugitive Mastermind Of U.S. Navy Bribery Scheme Nabbed In Venezuela

Leonard Francis, the former military contractor known as "Fat Leonard" who orchestrated the largest corruption scandal in US Navy history, was arrested Tuesday morning by authorities in Venezuela at the request of the US Marshals Service, according to the agency, Josh Campbell and Mary Kay Mallonee reported for CNN.

Photo Insert: Francis, whose nickname "Fat Leonard" came from his then-400-pound heft, pleaded guilty to bribery and fraud charges in 2015.

Francis is currently detained by authorities in Venezuela and US government officials have started proceedings with Venezuela in an attempt to seek extradition, Supervisory Deputy US Marshal Omar Castillo told CNN Wednesday.

US federal law enforcement had previously filed a so-called "Red Notice" with the multinational policing organization Interpol after Francis went on the run earlier this month, Castillo said.

A Red Notice is a global request to participating Interpol members to provisionally arrest a wanted suspect pending further legal action, such as extradition.

The former contractor escaped house arrest in San Diego two weeks ago by cutting off his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet, Castillo told CNN at the time. He escaped just three weeks before he was set to be sentenced.

Francis, whose nickname "Fat Leonard" came from his then-400-pound heft, pleaded guilty to bribery and fraud charges in 2015.

The investigation into the corruption scandal began in 2013 and touched on capitals and ports across the Pacific, including Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, and Manila.

During the probe, multiple Navy officials were arrested and accused of accepting cash, prostitutes, and all-expenses-paid trips in exchange for steering ships to ports where Francis' contracting company operated, providing services such as fuel and tugboats.

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