Investigative Reporter Craig Whitlock From The Washington Post Releases The Shocking Fat Leonard

Published: June 18, 2024, 2 p.m.

FAT LEONARD: #1\xa0New York Times\xa0bestselling author Craig Whitlock's masterful account of one of the biggest public corruption scandals in American history-exposing how a charismatic Malaysian defense contractor bribed scores of high-ranking military officers, defrauded the US Navy of tens of millions of dollars, and jeopardized our nation's security.\xa0All the admirals in the US Navy knew Leonard Glenn Francis-either personally or by his legendary reputation. He was the larger-than-life defense contractor who greeted them on the pier whenever they visited ports in Asia, ready to show them a good time after weeks at sea while his company resupplied their ships and submarines. He was famed throughout the fleet for the gluttonous parties he hosted for officers: $1,000-per-person dinners at Asia's swankiest restaurants, featuring unlimited Dom P\xe9rignon, Cuban cigars, and sexy young women.\xa0On the surface, with his flawless American accent, he seemed like a true friend of the Navy. What the brass didn't realize, until far too late, was that Francis had seduced them by exploiting their entitlement and hubris. While he was bribing them with gifts, lavish meals, and booze-fueled orgies, he was making himself obscenely wealthy by bilking American taxpayers. Worse, he was stealing military secrets from under the admirals' noses and compromising national security.\xa0Based on reams of confidential documents-including the blackmail files that Francis kept on Navy officers-FAT LEONARD\xa0is the full, unvarnished story of a world-class con man and a captivating testament to the corrosive influence of greed within the ranks of the American military.\xa0"Explosive, brilliantly reported and meticulously documented, Craig Whitlock's\xa0Fat Leonard\xa0reads like a thriller but depicts one of the most sordid chapters in U.S. military history, a tale of brazen corruption that soiled the Navy and is an infuriating insult to the American taxpayer. You won't be able to put this book down, and you won't stop wondering how it could have happened."-David E. Hoffman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of\xa0The Billion Dollar Spy

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