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Fat Leonard’ Extradited to U.S. in Sweeping Prisoner Exchange With Venezuela
Venezuela extradited a former contractor at the center of a U.S. Navy bribery scandal known as “Fat Leonard” to the U.S. and released 10 detained Americans in a sweeping prisoner exchange in which President Biden granted clemency to a prominent moneyman for President Nicolás Maduro.
The completed trade marked a breakthrough in the Biden administration’s rapprochement efforts with Caracas, as well as one of the biggest and multifaceted hostage deals the U.S. has carried out with a hostile foreign government.
U.S. senior administration officials characterized the swap as 10 Americans and a fugitive from justice in exchange for one prisoner in U.S. custody. The deal underscores a willingness by U.S. officials to make uncomfortable trade-offs for the freedom of American citizens held abroad, and give up one priority national-security case for another, in allowing someone accused of illegally moving hundreds of millions of dollars for the Venezuelan regime to walk free in exchange for a fugitive Malaysian businessman who had corrupted the U.S. Navy in the Pacific.
Fat Leonard’ Extradited to U.S. in Sweeping Prisoner Exchange With Venezuela
Venezuela extradited a former contractor at the center of a U.S. Navy bribery scandal known as “Fat Leonard” to the U.S. and released 10 detained Americans in a sweeping prisoner exchange in which President Biden granted clemency to a prominent moneyman for President Nicolás Maduro.
The completed trade marked a breakthrough in the Biden administration’s rapprochement efforts with Caracas, as well as one of the biggest and multifaceted hostage deals the U.S. has carried out with a hostile foreign government.
U.S. senior administration officials characterized the swap as 10 Americans and a fugitive from justice in exchange for one prisoner in U.S. custody. The deal underscores a willingness by U.S. officials to make uncomfortable trade-offs for the freedom of American citizens held abroad, and give up one priority national-security case for another, in allowing someone accused of illegally moving hundreds of millions of dollars for the Venezuelan regime to walk free in exchange for a fugitive Malaysian businessman who had corrupted the U.S. Navy in the Pacific.
