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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Julian Borger in Washington

US Marshals Services face questions after ‘Fat Leonard’ flees house arrest

A US navy guided-missile destroyer. Francis and his company are accused of overcharging the military by almost $35m.
A US navy guided-missile destroyer. Francis and his company are accused of overcharging the military by almost $35m. Photograph: US NAVY/AFP/Getty Images

The US Marshals Service and other law enforcement agencies are facing questions over their competence after the central figure in the biggest scandal in US naval history was able not only to escape house arrest but also rented vans to load up his possessions.

When marshals arrived at Leonard Francis’s home in San Diego on Sunday, they found he had cut off his GPS ankle bracelet and fled, two weeks before his sentencing hearing. The whereabouts of the Malaysian contractor’s three sons, who had been living with him, was unclear.

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