Fat Leonard

Brazen

It’s the most shocking unknown tale of our era: a defense contractor who bribed Navy officers with cash, prostitutes and luxury items in return for multi-million-dollar deals. Now, under arrest and battling cancer, Leonard Francis, AKA Fat Leonard, is angry, and he’s talking for the first time. His explosive story will change the way you look at the U.S. Navy forever. With exclusive access to Leonard Francis himself, Fat Leonard reveals the true story of the misogynistic men at the heart of the Navy and the brave women who brought them down.

To access all episodes of the Fat Leonard podcast, subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts, or on other podcast apps by visiting www.brazen.fm/plus. Subscribing will not only unlock Fat Leonard, but it’ll also give you early access to new Brazen shows, as well as ad-free listening and exclusive subscriber-only content across all podcasts in our network.

For more, visit: www.fatleonardpodcast.com

Fat Leonard is a Project Brazen production. For more fearless storytelling, search for the Brazen channel on Apple Podcasts or visit brazen.fm, home to all our podcasts, documentaries and newsletters. At Brazen, we show you how the world really works – from espionage and corruption to deal-making and organised crime, we’ll take you inside stories from hidden worlds. For the latest from Brazen delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters at brazen.fm/newsletters.

For more, visit: www.fatleonardpodcast.com

49min 32sec

Thumbnail for "Introducing Fat Leonard".

Leonard Francis, AKA Fat Leonard, is angry, and he’s talking for the first time. His explosive story will change the way you look at the U.S. Navy forever.

July 7, 20222min 4sec

Leonard Francis became the most powerful military contractor in the Pacific, running a mafia organization at the heart of the U.S. Navy.

July 7, 202235min 6sec

Through skill, bribes and luck, Leonard becomes one of the U.S.’s most trusted military contractors -- and exorbitantly wealthy.Out of jail, aged 21, Leonard begins his career as a defense contractor, just as the U.S. embarks on its Forever Wars. Through skill, bribes and luck, we chart the Wolf of Wall Street-like rise of Leonard, on the back of a product called the Ring of Steel.

July 7, 20226min 8sec

Leonard taps into a misogyny in the U.S. Navy that goes back decades.

July 7, 202234sec

The U.S. relies on Leonard for secret missions, but is its trust misplaced?

July 7, 202234sec

Leonard corrupts a Navy rising star, destroying his family.

July 7, 202234sec

Leonard kidnaps his own children, exposing his own dark past.

July 7, 202234sec

A Navy whistleblower moves to confront Leonard, but top admirals lend him cover.

July 7, 202234sec

A Navy wife makes a decision that brings Leonard down.

July 7, 202234sec

With Leonard in jail, the Navy protects its own.

July 7, 202234sec

Thumbnail for "#10: Subpoenas, Laws and Audiotape: Fat Leonard Updates on the Eve of The Trial".

Catching up on the Fat Leonard case

July 7, 202234sec

Thumbnail for "#11: Trial Updates, Guilty Verdicts, and a TV Series".

A jury in San Diego returned verdicts in the trials against several Navy officers implicated by Fat Leonard. Project Brazen founders Bradley Hope and Tom Wright discuss the latest developments in the case and news about a TV series based on the Fat Leonard podcast.

July 7, 202234sec

Thumbnail for "#12: Where is Leonard? Navy Fraudster Goes On the Run".

Fat Leonard has cut off his ankle monitor and fled house arrest just three weeks before he’s due to be sentenced by a San Diego court.

September 8, 202234sec

Thumbnail for "#13: End Of The Road For Leonard? Navy Fraudster Captured In Venezuela ".

After fleeing house arrest, Leonard Francis made it as far as Venezuela before being recaptured. But what might the future hold for the fraudster – once a fugitive, now a political asylum seeker?

September 30, 202234sec