Supersized scandal: ‘Fat Leonard’ probe widens to ensnare more than 60 US navy admirals

The “Fat Leonard” corruption investigation has expanded to include more than 60 admirals and hundreds of other US navy officers under scrutiny for their contacts with a defence contractor in Asia who systematically bribed sailors with sex, alcohol and other temptations, according to the navy.

Most of the admirals are suspected of attending extravagant feasts at Asia’s best restaurants paid for by Leonard Glenn Francis, a Singapore-based maritime tycoon who made an illicit fortune supplying navy vessels in ports from Vladivostok, Russia, to Brisbane, Australia. Francis also was renowned for hosting boozy after-dinner parties, which often featured imported prostitutes and sometimes lasted for days, according to federal court records.

The 158kg Francis, also known in navy circles as “Leonard the Legend” for his wild-side lifestyle, spent decades cultivating relationships with officers, many of whom developed a blind spot to his fraudulent ways.

The Justice Department has filed criminal charges against 28 people, including two admirals, since Francis was arrested in an international sting operation four years ago. Those cases form the worst corruption scandal in navy history, but they represent a fraction of a much larger list of navy officials under investigation but whose names have mostly been kept secret.

In response to queries from The Washington Post, the navy confirmed that it has been reviewing the conduct of 440 other active-duty and retired personnel – including 60 current and former admirals – for possible violations of military law or federal ethics rules in their dealings with Francis and his company, Glenn Defence Marine Asia.