FAT LEONARD

This week on Fat Leonard we're sharing the first episode of a new four-part series from Brazen called ‘The Professor'. William Veres is in trouble. In 2018 he was arrested following the largest ever investigation by the Italian police's art squad. They accuse him of running a pan-European art-smuggling ring with ties to the Sicilian mafia. He is alleged to have stolen $40 million worth of art and antiquities from Italy. Charged with 14 counts, including money laundering, forgery, wire fraud and conspiracy, he faces a jail term of up to 20 years.  But he has a plan to get out of trouble.  In this four-part podcast, host Simon Willis follows him as he puts that plan into action. It's a story that takes listeners deep into the underworld, and into the dark heart of the most famous criminal organization of them all – Cosa Nostra.  It is a story of drug dealers, hitmen, smugglers, spies – even a corrupt prime minister. And in the middle of it all is William Veres's quest to save himself. How? By solving the coldest cold case in the history of art crime – the theft of Caravaggio's Nativity.  The Professor is a series for Hidden Worlds, the home of unbelievable true stories and gripping investigations into shadowy places. Subscribe to Hidden Worlds and get brand new series delivered to your favorite podcast app year-round. One podcast, endless stories. For more, visit brazen.fm/hidden-worlds. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus to get ad-free listening.

This is a preview of Project Brazen's latest investigative podcast, The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome. To listen to the rest of this episode, search for THE SOUND: Mystery of Havana Syndrome, wherever you get your podcasts. In December 2016, a US official in Havana reported a debilitating and confounding  illness. The symptoms included headaches; nausea; hearing loss; problems with memory and vision. Soon, a second official came down with the same symptoms. Then a third. Then a fourth. By the time the story went public in summer 2017, dozens of US diplomats, as well as some Canadians, had come down with what was becoming known as “Havana Syndrome.” In this deep dive investigation, journalist Nicky Woolf peels back the layers of one of the most bizarre mysteries of the modern age. THE SOUND is a story about spycraft, technology, and the brain, and how the Cold War, maybe, never really ended. New episodes will be dropping in THE SOUND feed on Mondays, so subscribe there now to make sure you don't miss an episode. For ad-free listening, exclusive bonus content and early access to Project Brazen podcasts, subscribe to our channel on the Apple Podcasts app. You can try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/brazen

After fleeing house arrest, Leonard Francis made it across the border into Mexico and on to South America. But it didn't take long for the law to catch up with him. In this bonus episode, Project Brazen co-founder Tom Wright speaks to Kristina Davis of the San Diego Union-Tribune and Carlos Camacho in Caracas, two journalists close to Leonard's case, about the fraudster's escape plan, his recapture, and what the future holds for him under President Nicolás Maduro's regime. For updates on Project Brazen's latest investigations into the hidden worlds of wealth and power, subscribe to our free newsletter, Whale Hunting, at: https://whalehunting.projectbrazen.com Enjoy Fat Leonard? Stay tuned for more series like this one by subscribing to Project Brazen Originals, wherever you get your podcasts.

Fat Leonard Francis has fled house arrest and gone on the run, triggering a major manhunt in the US. In this bonus episode, Project Brazen co-founder Tom Wright discusses how the notorious fraudster may have made his daring escape, where he may have fled to, and why he decided to vanish now – just three weeks before he was due to be sentenced by a San Diego court.

A jury in San Diego returned verdicts in the trials against several Navy officers implicated by Fat Leonard. Project Brazen founders Bradley Hope and Tom Wright discuss the latest developments in the case and news about a TV series based on the Fat Leonard podcast.

A lot has happened since we wrapped up the first season of the "Fat Leonard" podcast, and host Tom Wright is back with all the updates - the good, the bad and the unexpected. Includes new interviews with whistleblower Marcy Misiewicz, David Loy (Legal Director of the First Amendment Coalition) and Don Christensen (President, Protect Our Defenders). Stay tuned for updates from the trial in the coming weeks.

With Leonard in jail, the Navy investigates hundreds of officers. But they spare top admirals. Tom's relationship with Leonard reaches breaking point. A major trial of U.S. Navy officers is set to start in February. Watch out for bonus episodes.

Beaten and angry, Marcy Misiewicz makes a decision that will bring down Leonard, and her husband along with him.

A cocksure Navy officer called David Schaus takes on Leonard. He's joined by a principled Navy supply official called Teresa Kelly. Finally, they force Navy admirals, who for years have given him cover, to take Leonard's fraud seriously.

Leonard's cruel treatment of his Filipina girlfriend, Morena De Jesus, and their children together, exposes his dark side. A fraught relationship with his own father could hold the key to understanding Leonard.

Michael Misiewicz was a rising star in the Navy before Leonard corrupts him with prostitutes, cash and free travel. We see the descent of one officer into graft and violence through the voice of his wife, Marcy Misiewicz.

How Leonard buys his own warship, the Braveheart, complete with a mercenary army, and deploys it to help fight Al Qaeda. He secretly records orgies with Navy officers, causing one of the U.S.'s worst ever national security breaches.

We look back at the Tailhook sexual assault scandal of 1991 through the voice of Navy whistleblower Paula Coughlin. The Navy's problem with misogyny is deep seated and it set the stage for Leonard's rise.

Out of jail, aged 21, Leonard begins his career as a defense contractor, just as the U.S. embarks on its Forever Wars. Through skill, bribes and luck, we chart the Wolf of Wall Street-like rise of Leonard, on the back of a product called the Ring of Steel.

Leonard Francis became the most powerful military contractor in the Pacific, running a mafia organization at the heart of the U.S. Navy. He's over 300 pounds, and charming. We meet him in jail, and explore why he's talking exclusively to our host, author and journalist Tom Wright. We explore Leonard's troubled childhood. It turns out this isn't his first time in prison.

​​Leonard Francis, AKA Fat Leonard, is angry, and he's talking for the first time. His explosive story will change the way you look at the U.S. Navy forever.