Wanted fugitive in Navy decade-long bribery case captured and arrested

(KYMA, KECY/ AP News) - A Malaysian defense contractor who orchestrated one of the largest bribery scandals in U.S. military history has been arrested in Venezuela after fleeing before his sentencing.

The U.S. Marshals Service says  the international manhunt for Leonard Glenn Francis - known as "Fat Leonard" - ended with his arrest by Venezuelan authorities Tuesday morning at an airport before he was about to board an airplane for another country.

An Interpol director said he was headed to Russia.

The arrest came on the eve of his scheduled sentencing in a federal court in California for a bribery scheme that lasted more than a decade and involved dozens of U.S. Navy officers.

Francis was under home arrest in San Diego when he cut off his GPS ankle bracelet and escaped earlier this month.

Ten U.S. agencies searched for Francis and authorities issued a $40,000 reward for his arrest.

U.S. authorities also issued a red notice, which asks law enforcement worldwide to provisionally arrest someone with the possibility of extradition.

There was no immediate word on when he might be extradited back to the United States.