Appeals court rules ‘Fat Leonard’ must serve full sentence in Navy corruption scandal

Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian contractor known as “Fat Leonard” at the center of the worst bribery and corruption scheme in U.S. Navy history, must serve the remainder of his 15-year prison sentence, according to an appeals court ruling that became official Monday.

The 61-year-old Francis, who pleaded guilty in San Diego federal court to charges related to bribery and defrauding the United States out of at least $35 million, appealed his sentence last year. He argued in part that U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino violated his Fifth Amendment rights and abused her discretion in November 2024 when she handed down a sentence that was 40 months longer than what prosecutors recommended.

Last month, just nine days after hearing oral arguments, a three-judge panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed Francis’ sentence. In a concise five-page memorandum, the panel ruled that Sammartino had ...