USAID official Roderick Watson and three company executives pled guilty in a fraud and bribery scheme that began in 2013. The scheme involved at least 14 contracts worth more than $550 million.
USAID Official Fraud
Watson, the former USAID official, took bribes, and was literally showered with lavish gifts – including cash, laptops, thousands of dollars worth of tickets for an NBA game suite, a country club wedding, downpayments on two residential mortgages, cell phones, and jobs for relatives.
In exchange for the bribe payments, Watson influenced the award of contracts by manipulating the procurement process at USAID.
Watson faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Three of the men lived in Maryland, one in Florida.
The three executives, who worked closely together in the fraudulent scheme, were contractors, according to a Justice Department announcement.
One of the contractors was Walter Barnes, the owner of PM Consulting Group, doing business as Vistant.
Darryl Britt was the owner of Apprio, and lived in Florida.
Paul Young was president of a subcontractor to both Apprio and Vistant.
Barnes and Watson also defrauded a licensed small business investment company (SBIC), as part of the bribery scheme, by inducing it into executing a credit agreement with Vistant. The strength of the agreement was enhanced by the fraudulent claims of working with USAID.
The men pled guilty to federal conspiracy to commit bribery charges. Watson, the former USAID contracting officer, pled guilty to bribery of a public official, and the others pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official.
The two companies, Apprio and Vistant admitted criminal liability and entered into three-year deferred prosecution agreements.
The companies must continue to cooperate with the Justice Department, implement compliance and ethics programs, and make progress reports to the department.
Watson faces the most severe penalty – up to 15 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for October 6.
Barnes, Britt and Young face maximum sentences of five years each. Britt’s sentencing is set for July 28, Young’s is scheduled for September 3 and Barnes will be sentenced October 14.
“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.”
“[Watson’s] criminal actions for his own personal gain undermine the integrity of our public institutions,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “Public trust is a hallmark of our nation’s values, so corruption within a federal government agency is intolerable.”
“The guilty pleas reflect the FBI’s unwavering commitment to holding accountable all those who abuse the authority and responsibility of public service,” said Assistant Director Joe Perez of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “The actions of the defendants in this scheme serve to erode public trust. The FBI is focused on rebuilding this trust and protecting American taxpayers from corruption through investigations such as these.”
“Corruption in government programs will not be tolerated. Watson abused his position of trust for personal gain while federal contractors engaged in a pay-to-play scheme,” said Acting Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Sean Bottary of the USAID Office of Inspector General (USAID-OIG). “USAID-OIG is firmly committed to rooting out fraud and corruption within U.S. foreign assistance programs. Today’s announcement underscores our unwavering focus on exposing criminal activity, including bribery schemes by those entrusted to faithfully award government contracts. We appreciate our longstanding partnership with the Department of Justice in holding accountable those who defraud American taxpayers.”
“Watson exploited his position at USAID to line his pockets with bribes in exchange for more than $550 million in contracts. While he helped three company owners and presidents bypass the fair bidding process, he was showered with cash and lavish gifts,” said Chief Guy Ficco of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). “Through its financial crime investigations, IRS-CI works to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure government funds are awarded based on merit — not corruption. In close coordination with our law enforcement partners, IRS-CI helped put an end to their greed and criminal conduct.”
In February 2025, NewsBlaze reported Covert Censorship Exposed: US Funneled $472.6M to Media Control NGO, Says Wikileaks. This fraud case is likely just one of many.
