Tag Archives: Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis

Lawmakers Survey: 94% of Sailors Say ‘Damaging Operational Failures’ Related to Navy Culture, Leadership Problems

Lawmakers Survey: 94% of Sailors Say ‘Damaging Operational Failures’ Related to Navy Culture, Leadership Problems

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USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) departs Huntington Ingalls Industries – Ingalls Shipbuilding’s Pascagoula shipyard to conduct comprehensive at-sea testing on Feb. 3, 2020. US Navy Photo

The Navy’s surface warfare community is weighed with a culture that values administrative chores over training to fight, ship commanders that are micromanaged and an aversion to risk, according to a new survey overseen by a retired Navy admiral and Marine general at the behest of a group of Republican lawmakers. That culture was at least partially responsible for a string “of high-profile and damaging operational failures in the Navy’s Surface Warfare community,” the report found. Read More →

Retired Navy Captain, CPO Plead Guilty to Bribery Charges in Latest 'Fat Leonard' Development

Retired Navy Captain, CPO Plead Guilty to Bribery Charges in Latest ‘Fat Leonard’ Development

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Undated photo of Leonard Francis

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – A retired Navy captain who collected nearly $91,000 in favors for sharing classified U.S. 7th Fleet ship schedules and steering logistics contracts to a foreign defense firm will plead guilty, according to federal court records. The plea marks the latest conviction in the Glenn Defense Marine Asia corruption investigation. Read More →

Kenneth Braithwaite Sworn in as Secretary of the Navy

Kenneth Braithwaite Sworn in as Secretary of the Navy

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Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite to serve as the next Secretary of the Navy on May 29, 2020 in the Pentagon. DoD Photo

Kenneth Braithwaite was sworn in as the newest secretary of the Navy during a private ceremony today at the Pentagon, capping what has been a tumultuous six months for the department’s leadership.

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Retired MSC Ship Master Admits Husbanding Contract Conspiracy, Fined $2,100

Retired MSC Ship Master Admits Husbanding Contract Conspiracy, Fined $2,100

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The dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10) steams alongside the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) during a replenishment-at-sea in 2019. US Navy Photo

A former Military Sealift Command ship captain admitted he received high-speed rail travel and hotel stays, an iPad and expenses for a two-week, holiday family trip to South Korea in exchange for giving a South Korea-based husbanding company details about scheduled port visits. Read More →

Paying the Price: The Hidden Cost of the ‘Fat Leonard’ Investigation

Paying the Price: The Hidden Cost of the ‘Fat Leonard’ Investigation

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Undated photo of Leonard Francis

This post has been updated to note that USNI News reached out to the Department of Justice for comment prior to publication of this story. Additionally, an attorney representing Leonard Francis provided comment following publication of an earlier version of this story.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The investigation into the web of corruption spun by contractor Leonard Francis has wreaked havoc on the Navy’s ability to fill senior leadership roles, unintentionally stalled hundreds of officers’ careers and thinned out the service’s flag ranks, USNI News has learned. Read More →

Top Stories 2018: Major Navy Legal Cases

Top Stories 2018: Major Navy Legal Cases

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Several high profile legal actions for the Navy occurred in 2018 from the ongoing Fat Leonard investigation to several special operations cases and the ongoing accountability actions for the Western Pacific destroyer collisions that killed 17 sailors. Read More →

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