Felony convictions vacated for 4 former Navy officers in sprawling ‘Fats Leonard’ bribery scandal
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The felony convictions of 4 former Navy officers in one of many worst bribery circumstances within the maritime department’s historical past had been vacated Wednesday as a consequence of questions on prosecutorial misconduct, the newest setback to the federal government’s yearslong efforts in going after dozens of navy officers tied to a protection contractor nicknamed Fats Leonard.
U.S. District Decide Janis Sammartino referred to as the misconduct “outrageous” and agreed to permit the 4 males to plead responsible to a misdemeanor and pay a $100 effective every.
The stunning flip within the case got here at a sentencing listening to in federal courtroom in San Diego.
Assistant U.S. Lawyer Peter Ko, who was introduced on after the defendants had been tried final 12 months, admitted to “severe points” with prosecutorial misconduct and requested the choose to vacate the officers’ felony convictions.
He stated his workplace doesn’t agree with all the allegations however stated errors had been made.
“There have been fairly clearly severe points that have an effect on our capacity to go ahead” defending the convictions or searching for a brand new trial, Ko informed the choose, in response to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Andrew Haden, performing U.S. Lawyer for the Southern California District, reiterated that in a press release after the listening to.
“As said in courtroom, we don’t agree with all of the allegations or characterizations within the motions or in courtroom,” Haden stated. “We acknowledge and remorse, nonetheless, that errors had been made, and we have now an obligation to make sure equity and justice. The resolutions of those defendants’ circumstances replicate that.”
Haden added that it “can be important that the 4 officers who stood earlier than the courtroom in the present day admitted for the primary time, below oath, that they broke the regulation and are responsible of crimes associated to their official duties.”
The officers — former Capts. David Newland, James Dolan and David Lausman and former Cmdr. Mario Herrera — had been beforehand convicted by a federal jury on numerous counts of accepting bribes from overseas protection contractor Leonard Francis, and his firm, Glenn Protection Marine Asia, or GDMA.
On Wednesday three of them pleaded responsible to 1 rely every of exposing info, and Lausman pleaded responsible to a cost of destruction of presidency property, for smashing a tough drive with a hammer.
Protection legal professional Todd Burns, who represented Dolan, stated his shopper was relieved to have this behind him. He and protection attorneys for the three different males had filed tons of of pages outlining how the monthslong trial was rife with misconduct from prosecutors hiding proof, ignoring false testimony and concealing information that questioned the credibility of key witnesses.
“The federal government has a large quantity of energy to coerce issues, and that energy remains to be evident on this context,” Burns stated.
He stated his shopper agreed to plead responsible to a misdemeanor after a decade of combating the allegations in opposition to him, “bleeding authorized charges” and enduring stress on his household.
“These 4 guys had been going through what was going to be sentences by the unique prosecutors that had been going to be completely devastating financially and custody-wise,” he stated. “Then they had been provided a deal to plead to a misdemeanor and a $100 effective to stroll away and finish this brutal chapter.”
The boys spent greater than a 12 months asking for a retrial. Theirs was the one case to go to trial out of the greater than two dozen defendants charged. The jury deadlocked and reached no verdict on fees in opposition to a fifth defendant, retired Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless, and prosecutors later dropped these fees.
Almost two dozen Navy officers, protection contractors and others have been convicted and sentenced on numerous fraud and corruption fees.
A number of others are awaiting sentencing subsequent month. It’s not clear if this might jeopardize these circumstances.
Francis admitted to purchasing off dozens of top-ranking officers with booze, intercourse, lavish events and different items. Prosecutors say he bilked the Navy out of greater than $35 million.
Three weeks earlier than the Malaysian protection contractor confronted sentencing final 12 months, Francis made a surprising escape, snipping off his ankle monitor and fleeing the San Diego residence the place he had been below home arrest.
The escape was additionally seen by some as a misstep by the prosecution for permitting him to not be held behind bars. He was later captured in Venezuela, the place he stays.
The 4 former officers had served within the Navy’s seventh Fleet within the Japanese Pacific, the place Francis’ firm equipped ships for many years.
Francis was arrested in a San Diego lodge in September 2013 as a part of a federal sting. Investigators say he and his firm, Glenn Protection Marine Asia, bribed officers so he might overcharge for supplying ships or cost for faux companies at ports he managed in Southeast Asia.
The case, which delved into salacious particulars about service members dishonest on their wives and searching for out prostitutes, was a humiliation to the Pentagon. The U.S. legal professional’s workplace dealt with the prosecution, providing independence from the navy justice system.
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This story has been up to date to appropriate that just one man pleaded responsible to destroying authorities property, not 4.
