Navy official in court in bribery case

[unhappycamper]

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/20/navy-sanchez-francis-court-bribery-bond/?st



Navy Cmdr. Jose Luis Sanchez, at right, arrives at San Diego federal court for an appearance in the Navy bribery scandal. He arrived with attorneys Nancy Hollander, left, and Vincent Ward.

Navy official in court in bribery case
By Kristina Davis
12:24 p.m.Nov. 20, 2013

SAN DIEGO — A Navy commander implicated in the widening Asian bribery scheme will remain free on bond as he relocates from Florida to the San Diego area, where he is facing charges, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Jose Luis Sanchez made his first appearance in San Diego federal court on the conspiracy to commit bribery charge. U.S. Magistrate Judge David Bartick approved conditions that had previously been set for his release in a Tampa court - $100,000 bond, secured by property in Albuquerque, N.M., plus GPS tracking and travel restrictions.

Bond will also be discussed in a hearing Thursday for Sanchez's co-defendant, Leonard Francis, the Singapore-based contractor at the center of the investigation.

~snip~

Francis, who sometimes goes by 'Fat Leonard,' is accused of bribing Sanchez and other Navy officers with gifts ranging from prostitutes to plush hotel rooms in exchange for steering Navy ships his way, according to court documents. Francis owns Glenn Defense Marine Asia, a husbanding firm that provides services to ships in ports across southeastern Asia.