Report: ‘Fat Leonard’ Affected JCS Choice

Evidence presented to government prosecutors by Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian businessman otherwise known as “Fat Leonard,” implicated one of several flag-rank officers under consideration to chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Washington Post reported April 1. Francis pleaded guilty in 2015 to bribing senior Navy officers with money, travel, concert tickets and parties, in exchange for contract considerations. The Post reported that Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, who led U.S. Pacific Command, was a key candidate for the JCS chairmanship until Francis provided information regarding the officer’s role in the “Fat Leonard” scandal. Locklear is now retired. The Post story also reported that even though the Navy officially promised “transparency” in addressing the scandal, it has divulged very little about ongoing investigations. The Post learned of Locklear’s role through information the paper received through a Freedom of Information Act request.