Authorities in Venezuela apprehended the Malaysian defense contractor known as “Fat Leonard” after he escaped his sentencing in the U.S. Navy’s worst bribery scandal, Interpol, the international police organization, announced Wednesday.

The announcement came just before his hearing in the United States over a $35 million plot that embroiled scores of Navy officers for many years. …

The latest hunt for Francis ended with his capture at a Caracas airport before he could flee the Venezuelan capital, Interpol’s Venezuela director general, Carlos Gárate Rondón, said Wednesday. He said the fugitive entered the country via Mexico and would be handed over to judicial authorities for extradition.