Five years ago, Leonard Glenn Francis, aka “Fat Leonard”, was arrested by the US Navy as the center of a major procurement scandal and what has been described as the worst national-security breach of its kind to hit the Navy since the end of the Cold War. The 54-year-old, 350-pound Malaysian national, ran Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) and two decades had been bribing US Navy officials with cash, lavish gifts, entertainment and prostitutes in exchange for information on ship port calls, bidding information, and for officials looking the other way at GDMA overbilling. 

So far, the Justice Department has filed criminal charges against 32 defendants who worked for the Navy or Glenn Defense Marine Asia. Twenty of the defendants have pleaded guilty in the scandal that cost the Navy at least $35 million. Another 550 people who had contact with Francis — including about 60 admirals — are under investigation.

After all this, what has become of Fat Leonard? Even though Francis pleaded guilty to various criminal charges and agreed to forfeit $35 million to the government, he is no longer in Navy custody. He is currently living in a small apartment over a garage at the home of one of his doctors in San Diego. He is guarded 24 hours a day by private security, which his family is paying for.

Nevertheless, Fat Leonard is not getting off scot-free. He was granted a medical furlough in May 2018 after being diagnosed with stage-four kidney cancer. Whether Fat Leonard will live to see the end of the investigation of the scandal at which he is the center is unclear.

This week the Navy released more details regarding the case of a Retired Rear Adm. Mark C. Montgomery, a onetime White House nominee, who was censured last month for his role in the ongoing Fat Leonard scandal.

Also this week, former US Navy Captain Jeff Breslau pleaded guilty to criminal conflict of interest charges after it emerged that he had provided secret public relations services and received $65,000 from Fat Leonard Francis.