(NewsNation) – Ten Americans formerly imprisoned in Venezuela were released on Thursday in exchange for the release of a close ally of President Nicolás Maduro and the return of a fugitive defense contractor – “Fat Leonard.”

“Fat Leonard,” real name Leonard Glenn Francis, was at the center of a massive bribery scandal at the Pentagon started in 2004, according to charging documents. Described by the Associated Press as an “enigmatic figure” who once stood 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 350 pounds, Francis owned and operated his family’s Singapore-based ship maintenance business, Glenn Defense Marine Asia.

The Miami Herald writes that Francis, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, provided “husbanding services” to the U.S. Navy, which included coordination, planning and procurement of items and services for ships and submarines in port. GDMA, That Washington Post said it held $250 million in U.S. defense contracts.

The Ministry of Justice said Francis used officers’ positions and “influence” within the Navy to advocate for and advance his own interests and those of Glenn Defense Marine Asia.

Francis and GDMA would give away “cash, gifts, travel expenses, entertainment expenses and the services of prostitutes” to Navy officers and employees in exchange for confidential information, thereby winning more contracts, the Justice Department said. naval officers also looked away, Authorities said Francis, a former Malaysian military contractor, overcharged for ship deliveries or overcharged for bogus services.

Francis, prosecutors said, ultimately defrauded the Navy of at least $35 million. After years of fraud complaints against GDMA, he was already the subject of an investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Washington Post reports.

Eventually, Francis was arrested when police lured him to a hotel room in San Diego. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States. As part of his consent agreement, Francis cooperated with the investigation.

Francis was hospitalized and treated for kidney cancer and other medical problems while awaiting sentencing.

After leaving the hospital, Francis was allowed to remain in a rental home under house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor and security guards.

However, three weeks before his scheduled sentencing in September 2022, Francis snatched his monitor and escaped, sparking an international search for him. Eventually, Francis fled to Mexico, then Cuba, before finally arriving in Venezuela. U.S. Marshals and NCIS announced a $40,000 reward for his capture. When he arrived in Venezuela, Francis was arrested before boarding a flight at Simon Bolivar International Airport, the Miami Herald wrote.

Since then he has been in Venezuelan custody and has applied for asylum.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.