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U.S. NEWS Thursday 3 March 2022
Analysts: Navy bribery trial to expose pervasive problem

By JULIE WATSON has been under house ar-
San Diego (AP) — Dozens rest, will testify at the trial,
of U.S. Navy officials have which is expected to last
admitted to being bought months. Defense lawyers
off by the gregarious, ro- have been trying to pre-
tund Malaysian defense vent him from taking the
contractor known as "Fat stand after he gave his ver-
Leonard" who plied them sion of events in a podcast
with prostitutes, Cuban ci- last year.
gars and free stays at the Navy officials vowed to
Philippines' Shangri-La ho- clean up their contract-
tel, among other things. ing processes in response
Now as the last five of 34 to the scandal and imple-
defendants stand trial in mented more oversight.
federal court in San Di- Sailors received more eth-
ego, what's more shocking ics training. Supply officers
is how little the case has have less independence.
changed the Navy's way of Goods and services now
doing business, according must be priced at current
to former military officers market rates as determined
and government watch- Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Pletcher, left, and Robert Huie, talk outside the federal courthouse, by the Navy's Fleet Logistics
dog advocates. about the guilty plea of Leonard Francis, known in military circles as Fat Leonard, on bribery Centers.
"You would expect that charges involving U.S. Navy officials Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, in San Diego. But that's not enough for
one of the largest corrup- Associated Press Grazier, who said the mili-
tion scandals in the history tary needs to move away
of the United States Navy In exchange, the officers tabs totaling more than Asia. from contracting out so
would provoke pretty dra- passed him classified infor- $20,000. Francis, who is scheduled much of its work. As bases
matic changes to prevent mation and even went so "While scores of Navy of- to be sentenced in July, have closed worldwide,
something like this from far as redirecting military ficials were partying with has been cooperating with the Navy has increasingly
happening again in the vessels to ports that were Leonard Francis, a massive the U.S. Department of Jus- turned to contractors to do
future. But sadly, that's not lucrative for his Singapore- breach of national security tice since his arrest in 2013 what it once did in-house.
really the case," said Dan based ship servicing com- was in full swing," U.S. Attor- in San Diego. "I think unless the Navy re-
Grazier, a former Marine pany, Glenn Defense Ma- ney Randy Grossman said Five officers — Rear Adm. ally changes the way it
who now works as a military rine Asia, or GDMA. recently. Bruce Loveless, Capts. Da- does business, future Fat
analyst at the Project on Twenty-nine people, mostly Prosecutors say Francis and vid Newland, James Dolan Leonards are just going to
Government Oversight in Navy officials, have plead- his company overcharged and David Lausman, and be more cautious, but it's
Washington. ed guilty to helping Francis the U.S. military by more Cmdr. Mario Herrera — not going to change their
The case has centered including providing classi- than $35 million for its ser- have maintained their in- practices," Grazier said.
around Leonard Glenn fied ship schedules in ex- vices between 2004 and nocence and have gone Grazier fears the case's big-
Francis who admitted in change for extravagant 2013, which included pro- to trial. gest impact has been on
2015 to offering $500,000 outings in South Asia with viding food and water to It's unclear whether Francis, young people like his son
in bribes to Navy officers. prostitutes and meals with the ships at Pacific ports in who is in poor health and who is an enlisted sailor.q
Boebert outburst on Afghanistan jolts State of the Union

By FARNOUSH AMIRI son shouted "you lie!" at ocrats, adding a note of
WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Barack Obama division to an address that
President Joe Biden was during a joint speech to received several moments
coming to the end of his Congress in 2009. Eleven of robust bipartisan ap-
State of the Union address years later, Democratic plause. Democrats and Re-
Tuesday night, a somber House Speaker Nancy Pe- publicans from both cham-
moment about his son's losi ripped up a copy of bers stood up and clapped
death turned into a stun- President Donald Trump's as the president discussed
ning outburst by one of the speech while standing be- the strength and resolute of
Republicans' most outspo- hind him. the Ukrainian people in the
ken members. Boebert's moment came face of Russian aggression.
Delivering the loudest heck- as Biden began to discuss Members stood together
ling of Biden during the how his son, who died of as Biden called for an end
speech, Rep. Lauren Boe- cancer, was among the to the opioid epidemic
bert of Colorado blamed many veterans who may and when he declared
Biden for the 13 service have suffered from toxic ex- that "defund the police" is
members who were killed posure injuries from military not the answer to the cri- Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., left, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor
during the U.S. withdrawal burn pits, used extensively sis between law enforce- Greene, R-Ga., right, scream "Build the Wall" as President Joe
Biden delivers his first State of the Union address to a joint session
in Afghanistan. in Iraq and Afghanistan. ment and the communities of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Washing-
It was just the latest breach "A cancer that put them in they serve. But it was when ton.
of decorum for a presi- a flag-draped coffin" Biden the mention of veterans Associated Press
dential address, an annual started to say when Boe- and providing support for
event where unruly behav- bert yelled, "You put them victims of burn pits, a nor- in the GOP see as Biden's lent," Boebert tweeted af-
ior by lawmakers has be- in. Thirteen of them!" mally bipartisan topic, that failed withdrawal of U.S. ter the speech. "Our heroic
come almost expected. The comment drew an out- Boebert stood to make her troops in Afghanistan last servicemen and women
Republican Rep. Joe Wil- pouring of boos from Dem- case about what many summer. "I couldn't stay si- deserve so much better."q