‘Fat Leonard’ probe expands to ensnare more than 60 US Navy Admirals

Synopsis: NCIS agents and Navy officials have just expanded a criminal investigation involving "hundreds" of US Navy officers, several dozen of whom are or were admirals for everything from leaking classified information about troop movements to accepting bribes (in the form of cash, food/alcohol, and sex) to good ol' fashioned obstruction, and a host of other charges. More bad news for 7th Fleet.

About 8 years ago, some folks in the Pentagon got a little suspicious about some bills they were paying to a particular defense contractor for things like sewage removal from ships, fuel, tugboats, food, etc. They opened an investigation that went nowhere fast (probably because the people involved were both stonewalling and feeding the contractor information about the investigation), so NCIS got involved. NCIS got nowhere just as fast as the Navy did, until they took it underground. After a years-long investigation, NCIS agents were able to get the owner of the contracting firm to visit the US, whereupon they arrested him on a laundry list of charges. He pleaded guilty about a year later and started naming names.

The Washington Post calls this "the worst corruption scandal to hit the Navy in it's history" and they're very likely not wrong. Tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent billing were submitted by the contractor. Top Navy officials gave him information about when and where certain ships and groups of ships were moving, to include Navy submarines. Other officials used their influence to cancel certain port calls and put ships into different ports so the contractor could take the contracts. They gave him inside information on contract bids.

The range of bribery is staggering: everything from bottles of wine to thousands of dollars in cash to cigars to lavish parties to prostitutes (he even had a dedicated team of hookers he called "The Thai SEAL Team), on and on the list goes.

The Navy is fighting like hell to keep it under wraps, refusing to give names or answer too many questions about how wide ranging the investigation is at this point. So far at least one Marine colonel has been indicted, and at least one Royal Aussie Navy officer is under investigation. Several officers (active or retired) have already pleaded guilty to various charges, with more indictments still coming.

WaPo article

Fat Leonard wiki page

Interestingly, when I searched to see if this had been posted yet I found this tidbit from a thread back in 2014:

I still think that the aircraft is just too expensive to operate as a multi-mission helo substitute, and I strongly suspect a REAL (i.e., a Glenn Defense Marine Asia-like “take it wherever it might go”) inquiry into the V-22 will reveal maintenance-record-keeping and numbers games. Call me a pessimist, but I believe that the tactics used to hide bloated maintenance budgets, minimize massive contractor support, obscure poor operational readiness rates and explain away the added cost of special equipment to accommodate the MV-22′s particular maintenance issues and operational challenges (How much do those well-deckless LHA’s cost these days, anyway? Oh, and how much will fire-suppression support escorts cost? etc, etc.?) would make Fat Leonard’s waterfront machinations look like the thrashings of an amateur profiteer. But that’s water under the bridge, I suppose.

The story is one thing. Attempts to cover it up by our government now that its discovered, however, are an entirely different thing.

As a US Taxpayer, that is something that Im willing to descend on Washington over. COrruption cannot be covered up...an our nation cannot operate without the trust afforded by some level of transparency.

I think the biggest waste of taxpayer money has been spent on the littoral bullsnip and the new carrier.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Oh there's a lot of angles to this that I find especially galling, as a citizen and a veteran. The ones I laid out above, for sure. The Navy's insistence at keeping it as quiet as they can. I understand protecting the investigation, but that only extends so far, especially once indictments start coming down.

The most galling for me?

The highest-ranking was Rear Admiral Robert Gilbeau, who was convicted in June 2016 after pleading guilty to making false statements to investigators about his contacts with Francis,[17] becoming the first Navy admiral in modern American history to be convicted of a felony while on active duty.[9] On May 17, 2017, U.S. District Judge Janis Lynn Sammartino sentenced Gilbeau to 18 months in prison, although he will be allowed to continue collecting his nearly $10,000 monthly pension.

Making a cool $180,000-ish sitting in prison, and making that money for retiring from an office that he didn't just tarnish, but took a giant dump on. He spent years and years taking this guy's money and helping him get rich and took affirmative steps to try and hide his involvement in the whole scheme. And he continues to get paid for it.

ibtimes.com - What Is Fat Leonard Scandal? 440 Navy Officials Investigated For Taking Bribes.

60 Admirals is a pretty big haul. But 440 Navy Officials??

I think it is bigger than just the 7th. The word, "systemic" comes to mind.

Why are all these scandals breaking now? Makes you wonder.

This has been going on for years and the Navy has been excruciatingly slow in dealing with it, to the point that many Navy officers' careers have been ruined without the Navy proving anything at all. No doubt there are a few officers who need to be taken to task here, but please take a careful look at what the vast majority of those being "probed" are accused of doing here. What it amounts to is someone accepting a free dinner from Fat Leonard. That's it.

Ad. Ted Branch is a good example. He retired as a Vice Admiral a year ago. For the three years previously he was Deputy CNO of Information Warfare. But because he was "under suspicion" his security clearance was revoked and he spent three years in limbo not being allowed to read any top secret stuff. In those three years he was "under suspicion" the Navy NEVER charged him with any wrong doing AT ALL. Don't you think they would have if they could have nailed him? No doubt he knew Fat Leonard. He was CO of the Nimitz for a tour and an Admiral in charge of a Carrier Strike Group for a tour as well. The Navy seems to have taken the position that because he was in the area he must be guilty of something. That kind of behavior on the part of the Navy is as much a scandal as anything they are investigating. It's a travesty of justice for people like Admiral Branch.

You seem to be in the know, so please forward me the phone number of The Thai SEAL Team. Otherwise I'll wait and see if there are any convictions before I start trashing officers.

a reply to: Nickn3

You could try reading the OP, for a start.

Several officers (active or retired) have already pleaded guilty to various charges, with more indictments still coming.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
COrruption cannot be covered up...an our nation cannot operate without the trust afforded by some level of transparency.

Weren't they just following the lead of their Commander In Chief? If you decide to take a trip to Washington, can I go too?

originally posted by: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
ibtimes.com - What Is Fat Leonard Scandal? 440 Navy Officials Investigated For Taking Bribes.

60 Admirals is a pretty big haul. But 440 Navy Officials??

I think it is bigger than just the 7th. The word, "systemic" comes to mind.

Why are all these scandals breaking now? Makes you wonder.

Draining that swamp!!

originally posted by: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
ibtimes.com - What Is Fat Leonard Scandal? 440 Navy Officials Investigated For Taking Bribes.

60 Admirals is a pretty big haul. But 440 Navy Officials??

I think it is bigger than just the 7th. The word, "systemic" comes to mind.

Why are all these scandals breaking now? Makes you wonder.

This is crazy. When I was in the Air Force, I saw my fair share of criminals, I mean with any large group of people you're gonna have criminals. But I have to agree this does sound like a systemic problem, like everyone who reaches the top echelon gets the idea that they can do this and get away with it. All those proven to have been corrupt are a disgrace to the service.

a reply to: face23785

When I was in the Air Force, I learned about the military gangs and prostitution rings on a massive scale, that would make organized crime the way we see it in the movies, look like ghetto wars.

The level of structure and hush hush sub culture, is wild.

This probe, is going slow, because they don't know how to really talk about what's going on, without saying what I just did...

Why are all these scandals breaking now? Makes you wonder.

Yes, almost as if some group is trying to destroy America. Possibly a group that controls the media???

Linked to here from other closed thread, thanks Captain Bump. I was wondering how much attention this got.

As expected, Not much...

The Navy runs the secret space program, they need secret money for that program.

Geez compounded with all the avoidable mishaps at sea, doesn't bode well for morale, Navy need major overhaul from to bottom.