Some may have missed this half a billion in fraud amongst the drum beat of protest coverage this past month.
Four individuals, including USAID contracting officer Roderick Watson and executives Walter Barnes, Darryl Britt, and Paul Young, pleaded guilty to a decade-long bribery scheme involving over $550 million in USAID contracts, according to a U.S. DOJ press release.
Watson accepted over $1 million in bribes, including cash, lavish gifts, and jobs for relatives, to steer contracts to Barnes’ Vistant and Britt’s Apprio, both SBA 8(a) certified small businesses.
The scheme exploited non-competitive contract awards under the 8(a) program, with Vistant and Apprio later subcontracting work to each other. Both companies admitted criminal liability for bribery and securities fraud, entering deferred prosecution agreements with $500,000 and $100,000 civil settlements, respectively, due to inability to pay larger penalties.
Watson faces up to 15 years in prison, while the others face up to five years. The case, investigated by the FBI, USAID-OIG, and IRS-CI, highlights corruption in federal procurement and misuse of minority set-aside programs.
Maybe Trump was right to let DOGE upend USAID.