{"id":44873,"date":"2022-09-25T14:22:08","date_gmt":"2022-09-25T14:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/09\/25\/fat-leonard-may-be-venezuela-bargaining-chip-experts-say\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:44:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:44:03","slug":"fat-leonard-may-be-venezuela-bargaining-chip-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2022\/09\/25\/fat-leonard-may-be-venezuela-bargaining-chip-experts-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Fat Leonard may be Venezuela bargaining chip, experts say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SAN DIEGO \u2014 A fugitive defense contractor nicknamed \u201cFat Leonard\u201d<\/a> who claims to have incriminating sex photos of U.S. Navy brass could become the latest bargaining chip in Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro\u2019s efforts to win official recognition from the Biden administration, according to experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s unclear how hard the U.S. government will fight for the return of Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian owner of a ship servicing company in Southeast Asia who is the central character in one of the largest bribery scandals in Pentagon history<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He fled home custody in San Diego on Sept. 4 and was arrested by Venezuelan police Tuesday<\/a> attempting to board a flight at the Simon Bolivar International Airport outside Caracas. Francis had his first court appearance Thursday, according to a law enforcement official in Venezuela who spoke Friday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss judicial proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The official, who had been briefed on the case, said now it is up to the United States to make the next move. U.S. authorities have 30 days to formally request his extradition, something that the official viewed as unlikely given that the Biden administration recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaido \u2014 not Maduro \u2014 as the country\u2019s legitimate ruler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venezuela and the United States have an extradition agreement but it\u2019s not clear if U.S. authorities have made a formal request. In an email, a Department of Justice spokesperson said the agency does not comment on extradition-related matters. Even under normal circumstances, extraditions can take many months or even years to complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Venezuelan
FILE – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro stands before a meeting at the presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 11, 2022. (Ariana Cubillos\/AP, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Biden administration doesn\u2019t officially recognize Maduro\u2019s socialist government, has no embassy in Venezuela and has imposed crushing sanctions on the country that have further embittered relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. indictments against Maduro and several members of his inner circle on narco-terrorism or money laundering charges has been a major irritant between the countries. The most serious case involves businessman Alex Saab, who was apprehended on a U.S. warrant in 2020 while making a fuel stop in Cape Verde en route to Iran. Maduro considers Saab a Venezuelan diplomat and has spared no effort fighting to bring him back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have no doubt the Venezuelans will make hay of [Francis\u2019 arrest], especially because they have felt the effects of the long arm of the U.S. justice system,\u201d said David Smilde, a longtime expert on Venezuela who teaches at Tulane University.<\/p>\n\n\n\t