Four plead guilty in massive bribery scheme at agency Democrats fought to protect from DOGE

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an bureau fundamentally dismantled by DOGE amid complaints from Democrats that cutting discarded would harm impoverished countries, is astatine the halfway of a monolithic bribery scandal.

A national contracting serviceman and 3 businessmen person pleaded blameworthy successful a strategy involving bribes similar cash, NBA tickets, and a state nine wedding successful a ungraded the Department of Justice (DOJ) said was portion of a $550 cardinal scam, Fox News Chief Washington Correspondent Mike Emanuel reported Friday. 

Roderick Watson, 57, worked arsenic a USAID contracting officer, according to a DOJ property release, and pleaded blameworthy to "bribery of a nationalist official."

According to the DOJ, Watson sold his power starting successful 2013, with contractors Walter Barnes, proprietor of Vistant, and Darryl Britt, proprietor of Apprio, funneling payoffs done subcontractor Paul Young to fell their tracks. 

RISCH URGES 'TOP TO BOTTOM' USAID SPENDING REVIEW AFTER WASTE, FRAUD EXPOSED

Demonstrators and lawmakers rally against President Donald Trump and his state Elon Musk arsenic they disrupt the national government, including dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, successful Washington connected Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

"During the scheme, Britt and Barnes paid bribes to Watson that were often concealed by passing them done Young, who was the president of different subcontractor to Apprio and Vistant," the property merchandise explained. 

"Britt and Barnes besides regularly funneled bribes to Watson, including cash, laptops, thousands of dollars successful tickets to a suite astatine an NBA game, a state nine wedding, downpayments connected 2 residential mortgages, cellular phones, and jobs for relatives. The bribes were besides often concealed done physics slope transfers falsely listing Watson connected payroll, incorporated ammunition companies, and mendacious invoices. Watson is alleged to person received bribes valued astatine much than astir $1 cardinal arsenic portion of the scheme."

THOUSANDS OF USAID TERMINATIONS TO TAKE EFFECT BY SEPTEMBER IN AGENCY'S FINAL LEG OF 'DRAWDOWN'

Former employees of USAID permission the office gathering successful Washington connected Feb. 27, 2025.  (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

Vistant was awarded successful November 2023, arsenic portion of a associated venture, a declaration worthy up to $800 cardinal with 1 of the focuses of that declaration being to code "a assortment of issues affecting the basal causes of irregular migration from Central America to the United States," an contented that President Joe Biden tasked then-Vice President Kamala Harris with during his presidency.

Several days later, that declaration was canceled aft USAID published a announcement that said Vistant was excluded from authorities contracting owed to "evidence of behaviour of a deficiency of concern honesty oregon integrity."

The associated task past successfully sued the authorities implicit being enactment connected that exclusion database and was re-awarded the declaration and fixed a $10,000 outgo successful August 2024. 

"Corruption successful authorities programs volition not beryllium tolerated. Watson abused his presumption of spot for idiosyncratic summation portion national contractors engaged successful a pay-to-play scheme," Acting Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Sean Bottary of the USAID Office of Inspector General (USAID-OIG) said successful the property release.

"USAID-OIG is firmly committed to rooting retired fraud and corruption wrong U.S. overseas assistance programs. Today’s announcement underscores our unwavering absorption connected exposing transgression activity, including bribery schemes by those entrusted to faithfully grant authorities contracts. We admit our longstanding concern with the Department of Justice successful holding accountable those who defraud American taxpayers."    

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Protesters clasp placards arsenic Pete Marocco, lawman administrator-designate astatine the USAID, attends a gathering with members of Congress to sermon overseas assistance connected Capitol Hill successful Washington connected Mar. 5, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/REUTERS)

USAID was 1 of the nationalist faces and astir drastic examples of DOGE's efforts to chopped waste, fraud, and maltreatment successful government, and the effort resulted successful the agency's programs being cut by 83%, portion the programs deemed captious were moved to the State Department. 

USAID's website went dark, and employees were barred from entering its office connected Feb. 3, portion others had their enactment enactment connected hold. The Trump medication past announced that each USAID direct-hire unit would beryllium enactment connected administrative leave.

The bureau came nether fire for galore backing choices, including allocating $1.5 cardinal for a programme that sought to "advance diversity, equity and inclusion successful Serbia’s workplaces and concern communities" and a $70,000 programme for a "DEI musical" successful Ireland.

During DOGE's sweep, it was revealed that U.S. dollars were ending up successful the hands of terror-linked groups, specified arsenic funds reportedly providing "full funding" for al-Qaeda violent Anwar al-Awlaki to be assemblage successful Colorado, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

As DOGE was dismantling USAID, galore Democrats and media outlets blasted the cuts, claiming they would harm impoverished recipients of assistance crossed the globe and some, including U2 frontman Bono, who said the cuts would pb to implicit 300,000 deaths. 

Several House and Senate Democrats protested extracurricular of USAID's office successful aboriginal February, expressing outrage implicit the layoffs and cuts, The Hill reported.

"Anybody who cares astir bully and effectual authorities should beryllium acrophobic astir the waste, fraud, and maltreatment successful authorities agencies, including USAID," Matthew R. Galeotti, caput of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said successful the DOJ's property release. 

Fox News Digital's Diana Stancy and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.