“Fat Leonard”, mastermind of biggest ever US military bribery scheme, back in US custody – National & International News – WED 20Dec2023

“Fat Leonard” mastermind of biggest ever US military bribery scheme, back in US custody.

US opens costly new front with Yemen’s Houthis in service of Israel.

NATIONAL NEWS

“Fat Leonard” mastermind of biggest ever US military bribery scheme, back in US custody

As part of a US prisoner swap with Venezuela, Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis has been returned to US custody after escaping his San Diego house arrest in 2015. Francis was at the center of one of the biggest US military bribery scandals. Between the early 2000s and mid-2010s, Francis admitted to bilking the US Navy out of $35 million for services his Malaysia ship support contractor Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA), never performed. However there are estimates that the actual figure runs well into the hundreds of millions. To further his scheme, Francis bribed high-ranking naval officers with gifts of luxury items as well as invites to wild sex parties.

Beginning in 2013, a Navy investigation scrutinized over 440 people, including 60 admirals, for their connections to Fat Leonard. Ultimately, dozens of people, including several admirals were disciplined by the Navy or were convicted or pleaded guilty to federal crimes. 

In addition to the return of Fat Leonard, the prisoner swap with Venezuela also frees 10 Americans who had been jailed in Venezuela. As part of the deal, the US also agreed to release an ally of President Nicolas Maduro who was in US custody facing money laundering charges. The prisoner swap has been under negotiation for months as part of an overall push to improve US-Venezuelan relations which have been strained for over a decade. Maduro has also released dozens of his political opponents as part of a pledge to all them to participate in elections within the next year.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

US opens costly new front with Houthis in service of Israel

The recently announced US-led coalition to defend Red Sea shipping from Yemen’s Houthi rebels will not only incur many millions of dollars in new expenses but also risks enflaming greater hostilities in the wider region. Since mid-November, the Houthis have been attacking merchant vessels that the group believed were connected in some way with Israel. The Houthis declared war on Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza. To date, Israel has killed more than 20,000 people in Gaza, more than 93% of them civilians.

In order to put pressure on Israel and the rest of the international community, the Houthis have targeted ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which leads into the Red Sea and on to the Suez Canal. In response, dozens of major shipping companies have announced they will stop using the route until further notice. BP has also stopped using the route, which could cause global oil prices to rise and stoke further inflation in the US.

Houthis demand end to Israel’s “crimes in Gaza”

Following the announcement of the US-led coalition, dubbed “Operation Guardian of Prosperity”, a Houthi spokesperson made it clear that the coalition would not halt their crude blockade of Israel. “Even if America succeeds in mobilising the entire world, our military operations will not stop … no matter the sacrifices it costs us,” the spokesperson said. Houthi leadership has also said they would stop their attacks on shipping if Israel’s “crimes in Gaza stop and food, medicines and fuel are allowed to reach its besieged population”.

Israel has not only mercilessly bombed the entirety of Gaza, it has also blocked humanitarian aid, including food water and medicine, from reaching the besieged civilians. Human Rights Watch has declared that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, which is a war crime.

Since the Houthi attacks began, US naval warships in the region have shot down dozens of automated attack drones launched by the Houthis. Some of these drones were aimed at merchant ships while others appear to have been destined for Israel. Each of these Houthi drones cost about $30,000, while the missiles the US is using to shoot them down cost millions of dollars a piece.

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