"FAT LEONARD," A Nine-part Podcast Exploring the National Security Corruption Scandal With Exclusive Access To Leonard Francis, Debuts On Tuesday, October 5

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Project Brazen Original "FAT LEONARD," a nine-part podcast exploring the ongoing investigation into one of the largest national security breaches involving the U.S. Navy in decades, will debut on Tuesday, October 5. With Leonard Francis exclusively talking for the first time, host Tom Wright uncovers the shocking reality of the defense contractor who won tens of millions of dollars through corrupt deals with the U.S. Navy in exchange for cash bribes, escorts and luxury items. FAT LEONARD will shed light on the Navy's cover-up of the case, which has gone after almost 30 officers, but failed to prosecute admirals whom Leonard claims took gifts and favors. The explosive story will also feature scores of other voices, including prominent women who share the broader tale of misogyny and sexual abuse in the U.S. military.

"The story of Leonard Francis' rise to power in the navy through bribery and kickbacks is the most important corruption case in recent military history," said Tom Wright. "It reveals a gaping hole in U.S. national security and how misogyny is still running rampant from petty officers to admirals."

In FAT LEONARD, Host Tom Wright takes a deep dive into Leonard Francis' mafia-like organization inside the Navy, corrupting even the top officer at the famed Navy Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS) as it started receiving tips about his shady dealings. The post will divulge details about Francis' videotaping of indiscretions with Navy officers, creating one of the U.S. military's worst-ever national security failures. Listeners will learn how Francis' scam was tolerated because he was a trusted intermediary of the Navy, paying bribes on their behalf to gain U.S. access to ports and protecting warships from terrorists. Francis will explain the part he played in covert missions against Al Qaeda, using his own warship, the Braveheart, to support Marines under U.S. diplomatic cover.

Women involved in the scandal will also give first-hand accounts, including one Navy wife who helped bring down Leonard. And we'll show how one of Leonard's girlfriends is fighting for the return of her children, snatched from her and living with him under house arrest. The alarming details in FAT LEONARD could destabilize the biggest trials yet of Navy officers in this case, set to begin early next year.

FAT LEONARD is the inaugural project from Project Brazen, an innovative content studio with an exciting slate of podcasts, books, documentaries, TV shows and films in development co-founded by bestselling authors and Pulitzer finalists Wright and Bradley Hope. Wright and Hope were longtime collaborators at the Wall Street Journal where they wrote groundbreaking front-page stories on some of the biggest events of the day and uncovered global crime. They led the newspaper's team that broke open the 1Malaysia Development Bhd. (1MDB) scandal, a $6 billion fraud which brought down a government and forced Goldman Sachs to pay the largest ever penalty under U.S. bribery laws. Together they co-wrote the #1 international bestseller Billion Dollar Whale (2018) about Malaysian playboy Jho Low, the fraud's mastermind, who ensnared banks, Hollywood celebrities and politicians in his schemes.

SOURCE Project Brazen