Nearly 10 years to the day since federal prosecutors filed the first charges in what would come to be known as the “Fat Leonard” scandal and grow into the largest bribery and corruption case in U.S. Navy history, an assistant U.S. attorney on Wednesday admitted to “serious issues” involving prosecutorial misconduct.
The remarkable admission came during a sentencing hearing for four former Navy officers who were convicted of several felonies during a trial last year. But those convictions were vacated Wednesday, and the defendants resolved their cases instead by pleading guilty to one misdemeanor each. They were given sentences that included no prison, probation or restitution — just a $100 fine.
U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino said the misconduct by prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego “can only be described as outrageous.”