Attorney: Navy Officer Will Plead Guilty In ‘Fat Leonard’ Bribe Scandal
An NCIS officer is going to enjoy a long, all-expenses-paid trip to the slammer for leaking information to crooked contractor “Fat Leonard” Francis:
A senior Navy criminal investigator downloaded more than 100 confidential files for an Asian defense contractor at the center of a multimillion-dollar fraud investigation, prosecutors say. In exchange for his tips, John Beliveau II accepted luxury trips from the Malaysian defense contractor, Leonard Glenn Francis, who would arrange for prostitutes to meet him, according to charging documents.
Beliveau’s attorney said his client will plead guilty to bribery charges Tuesday in federal court in San Diego. The conviction will be a first for federal prosecutors in the massive scandal that has netted the arrests of three Navy officials and prompted the military branch to suspend two admirals’ access to classified material…
In exchange, Francis, who is known in military circles as “Fat Leonard” because of his wide girth, lined up prostitutes, luxury hotel stays and tickets to shows for the Navy officials, including a Lady Gaga concert in Thailand, according to a criminal complaint…
According to the complaint, Beliveau, 44, not only kept Francis abreast of the bribery probe but advised him on how to respond, as well as downloaded sensitive records from the case files of his fellow Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents. Prosecutors believe Beliveau later shared the details with Francis.
