Felony convictions have been vacated for four Navy officers in a sprawling bribery scandal due to prosecutorial misconduct
The felony convictions of four Navy officers in one of the worst bribery cases in the maritime branch’s history were vacated due to prosecutorial misconduct Wednesday, the latest misstep in the government’s years-long efforts in going after dozens of military officials tied to a defense contractor nicknamed Fat Leonard.
The surprising turn of events occurred at a sentencing hearing in federal court in San Diego for the former officers.Assistant U.S. Atty. Peter Ko, who was brought on after the officers were tried last year, admitted to “serious issues” with prosecutorial misconduct and asked the judge to vacate the men’s convictions.“There were pretty obviously serious issues that affect our ability to go forward” defending the convictions or seeking a new trial, Ko told the judge.
On Wednesday the four men pleaded guilty to a charge of destruction of government property, accordingDefense attorneys had long accused the prosecution of lying to the court and unfairly pressuring witnesses to testify on the stand to a narrated script.Francis fled from house arrest in San Diego nearly a year ago in what was also seen as a misstep by the prosecution for allowing him to not be held behind bars. He was later captured in Venezuela, where he remains.
A decade ago, Francis was arrested in a San Diego hotel as part of a federal sting. Investigators say he and his company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, bribed officers so he could overcharge for supplying ships or charge for fake services at ports he controlled in Southeast Asia.
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