Four former Navy officers convicted of conspiracy, bribery and fraud in ‘Fat Leonard’ corruption scandal

Prosecutors say aMalaysian defence contractor bribed officers with sex workers, cigars, and free hotel stays

Four former Navy officers have been convicted of conspiracy, bribery, and fraud in the “Fat Leonard” corruption scandal.

The four officers were part of a group of five who were the last of 34 defendants in total to stand trial in the case.

Prosecutors say that Malaysian defence contractor Leonard Francis bribed the officers with, among other things, sex workers, Cuban cigars, and free hotel stays.

Former Captains David Newland, James Dolan, David Lausman, and former Commander Mario Herrera were convicted on Wednesday by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit bribery, receiving bribes, and conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, the US attorney’s office said.

The jury was unable to agree on a verdict for the fifth defendant, former Rear Admiral Bruce Loveless.

In 2015, Francis admitted to offering half a million dollars in bribes to the officers. The officers then gave him classified information and redirected military vessels to ports that were attractive for his ship servicing company, which is based in Singapore.

According to prosecutors, Francis and his company overcharged the US military by more than $35m for its services.

Francis is set to be sentenced in July. He has been cooperating with the Department of Justice since his arrest in 2013.

The Associated Press contributed to this report