San Diego could see even more cases from the Navy’s Fat Leonard bribery scandal.
Navy prosecutors in Norfolk, Virginia asked a judge Monday to move the case of Cmdr. David Morales to San Diego. The military judge took the request under advisement, according to a spokesperson at Navy Fleet Forces. Morales is the first officer to go to trial before a military court in the wide-ranging Navy corruption scandal, involving defense contractor Leonard Francis.
Moving the case to San Diego would give prosecutors easy access to key witnesses, such as Francis.
A steady stream of Naval officers has been found guilty in federal court in San Diego, since the man they call Fat Leonard was arrested here in 2013. Nearly five years later, the government continues to accuse more Naval officers of taking bribes in exchange for steering Navy ships to his ports.
Francis pleaded guilty in 2015. His sentencing has been postponed several times and is now set for June 15 in San Diego, according to federal court records.
