Three DNC operatives who were a part, in some capacity, of the alleged bribery scheme that is USAID, have pled guilty, Roderick Watson, 37, a former employee, and two contractors, Walter Varnes and Darryl Britt.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said of the plea deals, “The defendants sought to enrich themselves at the expense of American taxpayers through bribery and fraud. Their scheme violated the public trust by corrupting the federal government’s procurement process. Anybody who cares about good and effective government should be concerned about the waste, fraud, and abuse in government agencies, including USAID. Those who engage in bribery schemes to exploit the U.S. Small Business Administration’s vital economic programs for small businesses — whether individuals or corporations acting through them — will be held to account.”
USAID Official Pleads Guilty In Sprawling Corruption Scheme– trendingpoliticsnews.com
Source Link
Excerpt:
Roderick Watson, a former U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employee who worked under the Biden administration, and three businessmen have pleaded guilty to participating in a $550 million bribery scheme involving the embattled agency.
Watson, a Maryland native, is alleged to have received bribes valued north of $1 million in exchange for using his position as a trusted overseer of taxpayer money to direct 14 prime federal contracts to two consulting companies, Apprio and Vistant, which were contracted with USAID.
Watson, 57, pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official and faces up to 15 years in federal prison. He is currently scheduled to be sentenced this upcoming October.
As part of the wide-reaching scheme, Vistant owner Walter Barnes and Darryl Britt, owner of Apprio, used Paul Young, the president of a subcontractor used by both Vistant and Apprio, as a middleman in order to facilitate some of the bribes that went to Watson, the Justice Department said in a press release.
Barnes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official and securities fraud. Britt has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official, while Young pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official.
In addition, Apprio and Vistant, both of which contracted with USAID, have agreed to admit criminal liability and enter into three-year deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) in connection with criminal informations filed in the District of Maryland.
“The defendants sought to enrich themselves at the expense of American taxpayers through bribery and fraud,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their scheme violated the public trust by corrupting the federal government’s procurement process. Anybody who cares about good and effective government should be concerned about the waste, fraud, and abuse in government agencies, including USAID. Those who engage in bribery schemes to exploit the U.S. Small Business Administration’s vital economic programs for small businesses — whether individuals or corporations acting through them — will be held to account.”
The scheme dates back to 2013 when Watson, working within his capacity as a USAID contracting officer, agreed to steer government contracts to Britt’s Apprio firm in exchange for bribes, prosecutors said. Britt’s company had been eligible for lucrative federal contracts as a designated “socially and economically disadvantaged” business by the Small Business Administration (SBA), according to a report from the New York Post.
Federal Contractors Plead Guilty to Bribery Scheme Involving USAID Official– slaynews.com
Source Link
Excerpt:
Several federal contractors have pleaded guilty to a bribery scheme involving a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) official.
A major corruption scandal has engulfed the USAID, where a long-running bribery scheme resulted in over $1 million in improper payments and four guilty pleas tied to federal contracting abuse, Fox News reported.
The Justice Department uncovered that a USAID official took bribes in exchange for steering contracts.
The charges draw new scrutiny to the embattled agency, already facing restructuring and criticism over spending.
On Friday, the DOJ announced that Roderick Watson, 57, a former USAID contracting officer, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from government contractors beginning in 2013.
These bribes came from Walter Barnes, owner of Vistant, and Darryl Britt, owner of Apprio, through a third party named Paul Young, who ran a subcontractor connected to both firms.
Prosecutors say the illegal payments exceeded $1 million and included cash, laptops, NBA suite tickets, a country club wedding, mortgage down payments, phones, and jobs for Watson’s relatives.
The bribes were carefully masked using shell companies, false invoices, bank transfers, and fabricated payroll records.
