USAID official pleads guilty to taking part in $550M bribery scheme: ‘Violated the public trust’

[NOLA Dude]

A federal contracting officer and three businessmen pleaded guilty Thursday to participating in a $550 million bribery scheme involving the embattled US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Roderick Watson, of Maryland, is alleged to have received bribes valued in excess of $1 million while working at USAID 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.

Watson, 57, pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official and faces up to 15 years in prison. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in October.

As part of the elaborate scheme, Walter Barnes, owner of Vistant, and Darryl Britt, owner of Apprio, used Paul Young, the president of a subcontractor used by both Vistant and Apprio, as a middleman to conceal some of the bribes destined for Watson, according to the Justice Department.

USAID official pleads guilty to taking part in $550M bribery scheme: ‘Violated the public trust’

Roderick Watson, of Maryland, is alleged to have received bribes valued in excess of $1 million while working at USAID, in exchange for using his position as a trusted overseer of taxpayer money.

nypost.com

So I guess the CIA front USAID wasn't just about helping starving kids. Hopefully we see more corruption prosecuted.

 

[ncguy]

"So I guess the CIA front USAID wasn't just about helping starving kids. Hopefully we see more corruption prosecuted"

malfeasance by one individual doesn't mean the organization's mission is about corruption. duh.

 

[BirdinHand]

Supporters of the grifter in chief don’t get to complain when someone else dips their beak into the pool

 

[iliveonramen]

I can't stand grifters, particularly grifters that are taking money out of the pockets of people that need help.

 

[phoenix2020]

I can't stand grifters, particularly grifters that are taking money out of the pockets of people that need help.

Agreed, glad he was caught.

 

[Deuce]

So I guess the CIA front USAID wasn't just about helping starving kids. Hopefully we see more corruption prosecuted.

Nobody said there was zero fraud involved.

What we said was that you don't need to starve children in order to catch fraud.

 

[j brown's body]

Hopefully we see more corruption prosecuted we can politicize.

 

[TangoNoCash]

Okay but don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.

 

[NOLA Dude]

Nobody said there was zero fraud involved.

What we said was that you don't need to starve children in order to catch fraud.

Omg, you still think that USAID was more about helping starving children.

 

[NOLA Dude]

Hopefully we see more corruption prosecuted we can politicize.

We found the first person defending the USAID corruption.

 

[lynnwinslow]

A federal contracting officer and three businessmen pleaded guilty Thursday to participating in a $550 million bribery scheme involving the embattled US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Roderick Watson, of Maryland, is alleged to have received bribes valued in excess of $1 million while working at USAID 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.

Watson, 57, pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official and faces up to 15 years in prison. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in October.

As part of the elaborate scheme, Walter Barnes, owner of Vistant, and Darryl Britt, owner of Apprio, used Paul Young, the president of a subcontractor used by both Vistant and Apprio, as a middleman to conceal some of the bribes destined for Watson, according to the Justice Department.

USAID official pleads guilty to taking part in $550M bribery scheme: ‘Violated the public trust’

Roderick Watson, of Maryland, is alleged to have received bribes valued in excess of $1 million while working at USAID, in exchange for using his position as a trusted overseer of taxpayer money.

nypost.com

So I guess the CIA front USAID wasn't just about helping starving kids. Hopefully we see more corruption prosecuted.

Who do you think investigated this matter and charged the defendants? A Biden DOJ or a Trump DOJ?

I'm guessing Biden because the info about the investigation and when the charges were filed is scarce.

 

[Absentglare]

Invest in $TRUMP to help bribe the president with literally billions of dollars!

 

[W_Heisenberg]

We found the first person defending the USAID corruption.

This case is many years old, way before DOGE and is evidence that DOGE wasn’t necessary.

 

[Old 'N Chill]

Supporters of the grifter in chief don’t get to complain when someone else dips their beak into the pool

Thank you!

 

[stealthycat]

every liberal who stood up for USAID could apologize and admit they were wrong

will they?

 

[uptower]

A federal contracting officer and three businessmen pleaded guilty Thursday to participating in a $550 million bribery scheme involving the embattled US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Roderick Watson, of Maryland, is alleged to have received bribes valued in excess of $1 million while working at USAID 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.

Watson, 57, pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official and faces up to 15 years in prison. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in October.

As part of the elaborate scheme, Walter Barnes, owner of Vistant, and Darryl Britt, owner of Apprio, used Paul Young, the president of a subcontractor used by both Vistant and Apprio, as a middleman to conceal some of the bribes destined for Watson, according to the Justice Department.

USAID official pleads guilty to taking part in $550M bribery scheme: ‘Violated the public trust’

Roderick Watson, of Maryland, is alleged to have received bribes valued in excess of $1 million while working at USAID, in exchange for using his position as a trusted overseer of taxpayer money.

nypost.com

So I guess the CIA front USAID wasn't just about helping starving kids. Hopefully we see more corruption prosecuted.

Looks like the system works. The fraudsters got caught. Patently NOT an excuse to shut the whole agency own.

DOGE by the way had nothing to do with this, proving its ineffectiveness.

 

[ncguy]

Omg, you still think that USAID was more about helping starving children.

OMG, you still think its a cia front. lol

 

[ncguy]

every liberal who stood up for USAID could apologize and admit they were wrong

will they?

admit they were wrong about..what?
supporting the goals of an organization doesn't mean there is no fraud by an individual.
duh

 

[NOLA Dude]

OMG, you still think its a cia front. lol

I'm not surprised the prove it guy had no idea they were a CIA front.

CIA Whistleblower:

 

[Revelation]

every liberal who stood up for USAID could apologize and admit they were wrong

nobody is ever Wrong on this forum. please stop

will they?

nobody ever wrong, of course not.

.

 

[NOLA Dude]

This case is many years old, way before DOGE and is evidence that DOGE wasn’t necessary.

Nobody even mentioned DOGE in this thread until you did.

 

[ncguy]

I'm not surprised the prove it guy had no idea they were a CIA front.

CIA Whistleblower:

Lol 1972

 

[NOLA Dude]

Who do you think investigated this matter and charged the defendants? A Biden DOJ or a Trump DOJ?

I'm guessing Biden because the info about the investigation and when the charges were filed is scarce.

There is nothing that shows the Biden administration investigated this.

 

[stealthycat]

admit they were wrong about..what?
supporting the goals of an organization doesn't mean there is no fraud by an individual.
duh

it kinda does yeah

 

[ncguy]

it kinda does yeah

Nope
Not even close
Organizations of any size has some fraud at some point by some individual
Are all of them therefore illegitimate fronts for something else?