Ex-Navy admiral, 8 others bribed with sex, perks
San Diego, March 15: A retired Navy admiral and eight other current and former military officers were bribed with sex, trips and other lavish perks, according to an indictment unsealed on Tuesday in a burgeoning scandal involving a Malaysian defence contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard.”
Retired Adm. Bruce Loveless, 53, and the others were accused of accepting the services of prostitutes and other bribes from Leonard Francis in exchange for classified information that helped his company, Glenn Defence Marine Asia.
The indictment says Francis once rented the MacArthur Suite at the Manila Hotel, where memorabilia of Gen. Douglas MacArthur was used for sex acts with prostitutes.
Francis also is accused of paying for meals that cost as much as $12,000 and included foie gras, ox tail soup, expensive wine and cigars worth $2,000 a box.
Prosecutors say the defendants called themselves the Lion’s King Harem, Brotherhood, Wolfpack and other names as they worked to recruit others for the scheme. They were accused of using fake names and foreign email service providers to cover their tracks. Francis, whose nickname comes from his wide girth, bilked the Navy out of nearly $35m — largely by overcharging for his firm’s services supplying Navy ships in the Pacific with food, water, fuel and other necessities.