VIDEO: “Fat Leonard” is on the run

Leonard Glenn Francis — “Fat Leonard”——back in his glory days as CEO of Glenn Defense Marine Asia

When we last reported on the “Fat Leonard” case, the man at the center of the biggest bribery scandal to hit the U.S. Navy, Leonard Glenn Francis, had been under house arrest in San Diego since his guilty plea in 2015, under going treatment for cancer — and podcasting.

Now, though, San Diego media are reporting that, with his sentencing date approaching, “Fat Leonard” has made a run for it. His escape came to light when the San Diego police department alerted U.S. Marshals after a welfare check where the former defense contractor was under house arrest.

“Francis cut off his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet Sunday morning,” said Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Omar Castillo in a statement to ABC 10News.

Supervisory Deputy Castillo told ABC that neighbors witnessed U-Haul moving trucks outside Francis’ home in the days before his escape.

U.S. Marshals say it’s possible Francis has already escaped into Mexico.

At last count, the long-running fraud and bribery investigation has resulted in federal criminal charges against 34 U.S. Navy officials, with 33 defendants convicted of various fraud and corruption offenses, while a federal jury failed to reach a verdict on charges brought against retired Rear Admiral Bruce Loveless