Armed Forces News

Former Navy Cmdr. Troy Amundson became the latest of 33 defendants in the so-called “Fat Leonard” case to face prison time and fines. The Justice Department announced Oct. 16 that Amundson, of Ramsey, Minn., pleaded guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison, fined $10,000, and ordered to pay $21,625.60 in restitution for his role in the scandal.
Court records show that Amundson admitted to committing the crime between September 2012 and May 2013. During that time, he was responsible for coordinating joint exercises between the U.S. Navy and its international partners. Amundson and other Navy officers accepted dinner, drinks, transportation, tickets to shows, and the services of prostitutes from Leonard Glenn Francis, who headed the Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) company. In return, Amundson and the other officers provided Francis — aka “Fat Leonard” — with sensitive information that included Navy ship schedules. He and the others also illegally favored GDMA in business-related decisions. Amundson also admitted that he deleted relevant email correspondences he had with Francis.