'Fat Leonard' Returns: US Court Appearance and Potential New Charges

Leonard Glenn Francis, also known as "Fat Leonard," a defense contractor involved in a major bribery scandal, has returned to the United States from Venezuela as part of a prisoner swap. He is expected to face additional charges for failing to appear at a hearing in his ongoing bribery case. Francis, who had been in custody in Venezuela since his arrest, was transferred to the Southern District of California. He is accused of offering cash bribes to Navy officials and defense contractors. The scandal led to the conviction of numerous individuals. The prisoner swap also involved the release of 10 American detainees by Venezuela in exchange for the Biden administration freeing a Colombian-born businessman charged with money laundering.