IT’S NEVER THIS WAY ON NCIS: Mastermind ‘Fat Leonard’ Gets the Last Laugh in Disastrous Navy Corruption Trial.

A year after Francis’ escape, the convictions of Lausman and the three senior Navy officers crumbled, following disclosures of government missteps.

“It has been said by the defendants in this case, and the court has to agree, that the conduct by the government in this case can only be described as outrageous,” U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino said at a Sept. 6 hearing. Prosecutors agreed to accept misdemeanor pleas and $100 fines from Lausman and the three other officers. Charges against the retired rear admiral were dropped last year.

“The prosecution team on this case was comprised of exceptional public servants with an unwavering commitment to justice,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath, now the top federal prosecutor in San Diego, said in a statement.
Four other senior officers in the case, who had pleaded guilty before the trial, are looking for a similar turn in fortune. Federal prosecutors are expected to allow three of them to retract their pleas in exchange for similar misdemeanor deals. The officers have a hearing scheduled for Wednesday. Charges against the fourth officer are expected to be dropped.

“The government had hitched its wagon to Leonard Francis, who gave them a narrative that they ran with,” said Joseph Mancano, one of the defense lawyers.

“Exceptional public servants?” Well, consider this takeaway: ‘China couldn’t have done as much damage to the Navy as the prosecutors did by some of these false allegations.” It’s not impossible that China had something to do with this, I suppose.

Long deep-dive account by the WSJ. Worth your time.