Francis is currently detained by authorities in Venezuela and US government officials have started proceedings with Venezuela in an attempt to seek extradition, Supervisory Deputy US Marshal Omar Castillo told CNN Wednesday.
US federal law enforcement had previously filed a so-called “Red Notice” with the multinational policing organization INTERPOL after Francis went on the run earlier this month, Castillo said. A Red Notice is a global request to participating INTERPOL members to provisionally arrest a wanted suspect pending further legal action, such as extradition.
He escaped just three weeks before he was set to be sentenced.
Francis, whose nickname “Fat Leonard” came from his then-400-pound heft, pleaded guilty to bribery and fraud charges in 2015.
The investigation into the corruption scandal began in 2013 and touched on capitals and ports across the Pacific, including Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok and Manila. During the probe, multiple Navy officials were arrested and accused of accepting cash, prostitutes and all-expenses-paid trips in exchange for steering ships to ports where Francis’ contracting company operated, providing services such as fuel and tugboats.
