NCIS agent is sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after he became a mole for a Malaysian kingpin who gave him cash, prostitutes and luxury vacations

  • John Bertrand Beliveau pleaded guilty to leaking information to Singapore-based contractor Leonard Francis, also known as 'Fat Leonard'
  • Beliveau, 47,  was also ordered pay $20 million in restitution to the Navy
  • He admitted leaking information in exchange for $30,000 worth of cash, luxury travel and the services of prostitutes
  • His lawyers claimed Beliveau committed the crimes because he has mental disorders and because he was tired and lonely

A former Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) agent was sentenced on Friday to 12 years in federal prison for leaking information to a defense contractor in exchange for cash, luxury travel and the services of prostitutes, the U.S. Justice Department said.

John Bertrand Beliveau, 47, of York, Pennsylvania, had pleaded guilty to helping Singapore-based contractor Leonard Francis, also known as 'Fat Leonard,' perpetrate a fraud scheme on the U.S. Navy by providing classified information that allowed Francis to thwart a criminal fraud investigation of the company.

Jessica Carmichael, one of Beliveau's attorneys, said Beliveau suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and while she was disappointed at prosecutors' attempts to belittle his condition, she was happy with the ruling.

'We were very appreciative and happy that the judge did take into consideration his mental health concerns in giving a sentence below the government's recommendation,' of 15 years, Carmichael said.

John Beliveau (center) a former NCIS supervisory special agent, pleaded guilty to trading classified, secret information in exchange for an estimated $30,000 cash, prostitutes and luxury vacations

John Beliveau (center) a former NCIS supervisory special agent, pleaded guilty to trading classified, secret information in exchange for an estimated $30,000 cash, prostitutes and luxury vacations

His lawyers claimed Beliveau, who started working for NCIS in 2002, committed the crimes because he has mental disorders, was tired, drank too much alcohol, was weak, needed a father figure and a girlfriend due to loneliness. 

The U.S. District Judge in southern California also ordered Beliveau to pay $20 million in restitution to the Navy. 

The Justice Department (DOJ) said Beliveau admitted to accessing NCIS databases for investigative reports related to Francis and providing copies to him so he could avoid criminal charges.

The DOJ also said in a statement that Beliveau admitted to covering up his involvement by deleting incriminating emails. 

In return, the department said, Francis gave Beliveau money and paid for luxury travel to Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand, as well as lavish dinners and prostitutes.

'John Beliveau's deceit was a devastating blow to the U.S. Navy and ultimately the nation that he was sworn to protect,' U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said in the statement.

In June, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Robert Gilbeau pleaded guilty to a charge of lying to federal investigators, making him the highest-ranking officer to be convicted in the case. Gilbeau is awaiting sentencing.

Sixteen people, including 11 current or former U.S. Navy officials, have been charged in the investigation, prosecutors said. Beliveau's sentencing ranks as the most severe punishment to date.

Francis pleaded guilty last year to bribery charges and is awaiting sentencing. 

Prosecutors say Leonard, a 51-year-old Malaysian kingpin, bought information from Navy officials that allowed his company to overbill the military branch by at least $20million for services it provided to Navy ships at Asian ports since 2009. 

Francis asked Navy captains to re-route ships to ports owned by his company or to small ports where they could impose fake port fees on the Navy.

Prosecutors say Leonard 'Fat Leonard' Francis (center) bought information from Navy officials, including Beliveau, that allowed his company to overbill the military branch by at least $20million for services it provided to Navy ships

Prosecutors say Leonard 'Fat Leonard' Francis (center) bought information from Navy officials, including Beliveau, that allowed his company to overbill the military branch by at least $20million for services it provided to Navy ships

Prosecutors in the case said they wanted Beliveau (left) to serve 15 years in prison

Prosecutors in the case said they wanted Beliveau (left) to serve 15 years in prison

'In the instant offense, severe mental illness and compromised judgment, rather than greed, motivated Mr. Beliveau,' his defense lawyers had argued in a recent court filing obtained by ABC News.

'He was weak and vulnerable, and in his compromised state, he exercised terrible judgment.'

But prosecutors in the case branded the defense's request an 'insult' and said they wanted Beliveau to serve 15 years in prison.  

'Beliveau's sentencing submission discusses his psychological diagnoses at length but makes no effort to identify how they justify his decision to take bribes from the target of a criminal investigation,' prosecutors said in their own filing last week.

'At any rate, there can be no doubt that the facts establish that Beliveau is a high-achieving adult who understood the consequences of his actions... Unfortunately, however, Beliveau used his considerable talents to perpetuate a lengthy and damaging bribery and fraud scheme. 

'Beliveau conspired to steal tens of millions of dollars from the U.S. Navy, he put lives at risk, and has forever tarnished the reputation of the agency and country he was sworn to protect. 

'That he did so for a steady stream of prostitutes, lavish trips and dinners and envelopes of cash is directly relevant to the court's analysis of his history and characteristics.' 

Beliveau was part of the widespread bribery ring operated by 350lb Francis, who is known in military circles as 'Fat Leonard', through his company that provided fuel, food and supplies for Navy ships for 25 years. 

They claim Beliveau (center), who started working for NCIS in 2002, committed the crimes because he has mental disorders, was tired, drank too much alcohol, was weak, needed a father figure and a girlfriend due to loneliness

They claim Beliveau (center), who started working for NCIS in 2002, committed the crimes because he has mental disorders, was tired, drank too much alcohol, was weak, needed a father figure and a girlfriend due to loneliness

The bribery ring involved more than a dozen Navy servicemen and high-ranking officials who gave him classified information.

Francis, who was arrested in September 2013 and pleaded guilty in January 2015, ripped off the Navy with the information he received on ship movements and ships being steered toward his ports. 

Following the arrest, hundreds of law enforcement agents arrested other suspects in three states and seven countries and seized incriminating files from his business empire.

More than a dozen Navy officers, including a vice admiral, have been disciplined or been criminally prosecuted while some are still facing charges related to the scheme. 

Beliveau didn't come into the bribery scheme until after Francis had learned he was being investigated by the NCIS, which is the law enforcement agency of the Navy. 

The two men met while Beliveau was stationed from 2008 to 2012 in Singapore. 

Beliveau's attorneys said that their client found Francis to be a 'wealthy, smooth-talking, popular man,' while Francis seemingly found someone he used to get information. 

'(Francis) wined, dined and cultivated relationships with his guests that he would later exploit,' Beliveau's attorneys said in the more than 70-page court filing. 

Beliveau didn't come into the bribery scheme until after Francis (right) had learned he was being investigated by the NCIS. Francis paid Beliveau to leak information about the investigation to him

Beliveau didn't come into the bribery scheme until after Francis (right) had learned he was being investigated by the NCIS. Francis paid Beliveau to leak information about the investigation to him

'Mr. Beliveau was weak... In essence, Mr. Beliveau was a prime target for Francis. He was exhausted and lonely.'

In their argument for Beliveau, the court filing states that he lived with loneliness, intense securities, serious mental and physical ailments that go back to his childhood. 

Though Beliveau had a successful career as an NCIS agent, his lawyers said he never had a romantic relationship or any real friends as he drank excessively and lived with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. 

When he met Francis, Beliveau believed that he found a friend and betrayed the country for him, his attorneys said in the filing.   

'(Beliveau) became attached to Mr. Francis, a man who was powerful and had the resources to keep him safe and provide him with the numbing agents that John used as his primary coping mechanism,' Beliveau's therapist wrote at some point, as quoted in the defense filing ABC obtained.

The reference to 'numbing agents' he received included thousands of dollars, prostitutes, fine dining and alcohol. 

Francis even purchased a decommissioned British warship (above), renamed it the Glenn Braveheart, and occasionally turned it into a giant party boat with prostitutes 

Francis even purchased a decommissioned British warship (above), renamed it the Glenn Braveheart, and occasionally turned it into a giant party boat with prostitutes 

Francis had even purchased a decommissioned British warship, renamed it the Glenn Braveheart, and occasionally turned it into a giant party boat, complete with prostitutes in the wardroom according to court records. 

Starting in 2011, prosecutors say Beliveau gave Francis numerous internal NCIS reports and trained him on how to best answer questions from investigators. 

'As the months went by, Mr. Beliveau fell deeper into Francis' scheme to a point in which they communicated almost daily.' Beliveau's attorneys said in the filing.

'He was symptomatically obsessed with Francis and overwhelmingly attached to the relief Francis could provide through the parties and prostitutes.' 

In addition, Francis and Beliveau sent dozens of emails back and forth about hookers and payment. 

In one email Beliveau wrote in 2012 to Francis, he said: 'You give your whores more money than me ;) 

'Don't get too busy that you forget your friends ...  let me know ... I can be your best friend or worst enemy.'

Prosecutors claim that Beliveau allegedly gave Francis 'real-time updates and warnings about every significant development' via text message concerning the NCIS' cases on him. 

Beliveau's attorney's say he became attached to Francis and the luxuries that he gave him. Prosecutors claim that Beliveau (center) gave Francis 'real-time updates and warnings about every significant development' via text message concerning the NCIS' cases on him

Beliveau's attorney's say he became attached to Francis and the luxuries that he gave him. Prosecutors claim that Beliveau (center) gave Francis 'real-time updates and warnings about every significant development' via text message concerning the NCIS' cases on him

Beliveau provided Francis with the identities of witnesses who were cooperating and also warned him that an NCIS source was making recordings of a GDMA employee.   

'I have 30 reports for u (sic), not good, ur (sic) girl in Thailand fd (sic) up and got caught on tape,' one of the messages from Beliveau said, according to prosecutors. 

Authorities came to suspect that a mole was working inside NCIS. They created a 'clandestine team of agents' to operate a 'secret investigation that was completely walled off' from NCIS's internal system.

Military authorities went into the NCIS system in July 2013 and placed a fake report that said the investigation into Francis' business was to be closed, in an effort to trap the mole.

Beliveau immediately reported that information to Francis, who then traveled to San Diego to meet with Navy officials who worked for him in the scheme. 

Last year, US Navy commander Jose Luis Sanchez (above) pleaded guilty in the case for providing shipping schedules and other information to Francis in exchange for bribes

Last year, US Navy commander Jose Luis Sanchez (above) pleaded guilty in the case for providing shipping schedules and other information to Francis in exchange for bribes

Military authorities arrested Francis, Beliveau and a group of service members involved in the scheme.  

Beliveau agreed to cooperate with investigators in the widespread case three months later and he pleaded guilty.    

His attorneys have also argued that the crimes he committed were not as bad as some of what others did for Francis. 

They also said that prior to Beliveau meeting Francis, he had never done anything wrong in his life.  

'Mr. Beliveau's involvement in this scheme is truly an aberration from who he truly is — an honorable, thoughtful man dedicated to a life of service,' the court filing states. 

'Mr. Beliveau is deeply remorseful and disappointed in himself.'

Prosecutors have countered Beliveau's attorney's argument with stating that the 15-year prison sentence recommendation should be imposed because his crimes were worse since he was a law enforcement officer for the Navy.  

'The sentence that this court imposes upon Beliveau should reflect the level of trust that the judiciary and the public place in federal law enforcement agents and the gravity of the harm that results when agents breach that trust,' the prosecutors' filing states. 

'For this reason, the harm that Beliveau did to the GDMA investigation — which was considerable — pales in comparison to the damage done to the public's faith in the law enforcement officers responsible for ensuring that the justice system achieves equitable results.'

Last year, US Navy commander Jose Luis Sanchez said he provided shipping schedules and other information to Francis in exchange for bribes. 

He was the highest-ranking Navy official to plead guilty in the case after Daniel Layug, a petty officer who admitted providing classified shipping schedules and other internal Navy information to Francis.