Among the dozens of U.S. Navy officers charged in connection with the “Fat Leonard” bribery and fraud scandal, Edmond Aruffo is unique — for a variety of reasons.
Unlike many of the other Navy officials tied to the $35 million fraud scheme, Aruffo was never accused of taking bribes of cash or prostitutes. And Aruffo's charges stemmed not from his time while employed by the Navy, but rather when he went to work for the scheme's mastermind, Malaysian defense contractor Leonard Glenn Francis, at Glenn Defense Marine Asia.
Aruffo, who retired from the Navy in 2007 as a lieutenant commander, was also among the first Navy officers charged in the case, and was the fourth to plead guilty, in July 2014. But his sentencing was repeatedly delayed over the past eight years — during which time he earned a law degree and wrote a book aimed at helping other law students pass the California bar exam — as he assisted prosecutors with their case.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Barry “Ted” Moskowitz sentenced Aruffo to perform 850 hours of community service helping military veterans. He also sentenced him to three years of supervised release.
Moskowitz called the various prosecutions related to Francis “probably the most significant case prosecuted in” San Diego federal court and said Aruffo had provided the most significant government cooperation he'd seen in his 30 or so years as a federal judge and…
