Navy Captains Imprisoned in 'Fat Leonard' Scandal Seek Details of Government Misconduct
The San Diego Union-Tribune | By Alex Riggins
Published February 20, 2025 at 1:24pm ET
Two former Navy captains who went to prison for taking bribes as part of the “ Fat Leonard” corruption scandal have asked federal prosecutors to dismiss their felony convictions and instead allow them to plead guilty to misdemeanor crimes.
Retired Navy Capt. David Williams Haas and former Navy Capt. Jesús Vasquez Cantú, both of whom have finished their prison terms, have also requested that the San Diego-area U.S. Attorney’s Office follow a request by the judge in the case to provide more specific details about the government misconduct that has marred the long-running prosecution of the Navy’s worst-ever bribery and corruption scandal.
While government attorneys have admitted in court and in written filings to “serious issues” regarding government misconduct, prosecutors have only provided vague details of that misconduct and not a full reckoning either publicly or to defense attorneys. U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino, who previously told prosecutors she wanted “legal and factual specificity through briefing with supporting declarations,” has ordered the government to respond by March 3 with arguments why it should not have to disclose those details as part of a discovery process.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/02/20/navy-captains-imprisoned-fat-leonard-scandal-seek-details-of-government-misconduct.html
