{"id":2447518,"date":"2025-06-15T10:11:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T14:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usaid-official-and-3-others-plead-guilty-after-decade-long-half-billion-dollar-bribery-scheme-falls-apart\/"},"modified":"2025-06-15T10:15:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T14:15:31","slug":"usaid-official-and-3-others-plead-guilty-after-decade-long-half-billion-dollar-bribery-scheme-falls-apart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usaid-official-and-3-others-plead-guilty-after-decade-long-half-billion-dollar-bribery-scheme-falls-apart\/","title":{"rendered":"USAID Official and 3 Others Plead Guilty After Decade-Long, Half-Billion Dollar Bribery Scheme Falls Apart"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fusaid-official-and-3-others-plead-guilty-after-decade-long-half-billion-dollar-bribery-scheme-falls-apart%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2447518&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>An official from the U.S. Agency for International Growth (USAID), Roderick Watson, alongside three businessmen, has pleaded guilty to participating in a bribery scheme that misappropriated over $500 million in taxpayer funds. The Justice Department announced that Watson accepted various forms of bribes, including cash, gifts, and other luxuries, in exchange for steering contract work to specific companies. The businessmen involved in the scheme, Walter Barnes, Darryl Britt, and Paul Young, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe a public official.<\/p>\n<p>The scheme exploited Small Business Management set-aside programs, which offer federal contracting advantages to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/small-business-owners-slam-mlb-commish-for-moving-all-star-game\/\" title=\"Small-Business Owners Slam MLB Commish for Moving All-Star Game\">minority-owned businesses<\/a>. Each defendant faces a maximum of five years in prison. The Justice Department emphasized that the actions violated public trust and undermined the integrity of the federal procurement process,highlighting concerns over fraud and waste in government agencies like USAID. This case has raised questions about the effectiveness of contracting laws designed to aid minority businesses.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>An official with a government agency that President Donald Trump targeted for elimination has pleaded guilty, along with three businessmen, to being part of a decade-long bribery scheme that involved more than $500 million in taxpayer money, the Justice Department has announced.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/usaid-official-and-three-corporate-executives-plead-guilty-decade-long-bribery-scheme\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news release<\/a> published Thursday, the DOJ said Roderick Watson, 57, a contracting officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development, steered contracting work to specific companies in return for bribes.<\/p>\n<p>The payments, according to the release, included &ldquo;cash, laptops, thousands of dollars in tickets to a suite at an NBA game, a country club wedding, downpayments on two residential mortgages, cellular phones, and jobs for relatives.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">BREAKING: USAID official and 3 company executives plead guilty in fraud and bribery scheme involving at least 14 contracts worth over $550 million<\/p>\n<p>USAID Official Roderick Watson took bribes, was showered with lavish gifts&mdash; including cash, laptops, thousands of dollars in tickets&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jBpXTIHxg9\">pic.twitter.com\/jBpXTIHxg9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/libsoftiktok\/status\/1933545338561855588?\">June 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>And, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/usaid-official-three-contractors-plead-guilty-to-half-billion-dollar-bribery-scheme\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Daily Wire<\/a>&nbsp;noted, it was all possible because of Small Business Administration &ldquo;set-aside&rdquo; programs that give federal contracting preferences to businesses owned by minorities and women.<\/p>\n<p>The three businessmen involved in the long-term scheme were identified in the release as Walter Barnes, 46, of Potomac, Maryland; Darryl Britt, 64, of Myakka City, Florida; and Paul Young, 62, of Columbia, Maryland.<\/p>\n<p>Watson has pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official, according to the release. Barnes, Britt, and Young have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe a public official, according to the news release. Each of the four faces a maximum prison term of five years.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Three USAID contractors pleaded guilty to bribing a USAID official to get more than HALF A BILLION dollars in contracts.<\/p>\n<p>The fraud was made possible due to the government&rsquo;s racial &ldquo;set-aside&rdquo; laws, where blacks and other minorities can be awarded contracts without competition. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HCnaiWSNKn\">pic.twitter.com\/HCnaiWSNKn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Luke Rosiak (@lukerosiak) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/lukerosiak\/status\/1933726108446568930?\">June 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The defendants sought to enrich themselves at the expense of American taxpayers through bribery and fraud,&rdquo; Matthew Galeotti, head of the Justice Department&rsquo;s Criminal Division, said in the release.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Those who engage in bribery schemes to exploit the U.S. Small Business Administration&rsquo;s vital economic programs for small businesses &mdash; whether individuals or corporations acting through them &mdash; will be held to account.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>According to the news release, Watson&rsquo;s actions in exchange for the bribes included recommending the other men&rsquo;s companies to &ldquo;other USAID decisionmakers for non-competitive contract awards, disclosing sensitive procurement information during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-hampshire-governor-signs-new-law-to-increase-the-use-of-renewable-gas\/\" title=\"New Hampshire Governor Signs New Law to Increase the Use of \u201cRenewable\u201d Gas\">competitive bidding process<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >providing positive performance evaluations<\/a> to a government agency, and approving decisions on the contracts, such as increased funding and a security clearance.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; Guy Ficco, chief of the IRS Criminal Investigation, said in the release.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Agency for International Development was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-rocks-bill-gates-usaid-shakeup-squeezes-foundation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">top target<\/a> of the new Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency shortly after Trump took office on Jan. 20.<\/p>\n<p>By early February, Trump and DOGE, then headed by billionaire Elon Musk, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-karoline-leavitt-pulls-insane-list-usaid-expenditures-reporter-frets-humanitarian-aid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">had widely publicized<\/a> the kind of projects USAID saw fit to spend taxpayer money on, such as a transgender opera in Colombia, as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described it, and various &ldquo;diversity, equity, and inclusion&rdquo; efforts around the world.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to placing USAID <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/marco-rubio-takes-embattled-usaid-vows-big-changes-completely-unresponsive-agency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">under the control<\/a> of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the State Department, Trump moved to slash more than $8 billion from the agency&rsquo;s budget, along with starving other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/white-house-sending-doge-cuts-congress-rescission-including-pbs-npr-foreign-aid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">favorites of the left<\/a>, such as NPR and PBS.<\/p>\n<p>While Trump&rsquo;s high-profile efforts to reform or get rid of USAID sparked <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dc-people-started-googling-really-disturbing-words-day-usaid-fell-doge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plenty of angst<\/a> inside the liberal bubble of the Beltway, the administration stood more than firm in its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/marco-rubio-reveals-just-little-usaid-funding-helping-needy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">public position<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The fact that a USAID official and three others have pleaded guilty to a bribery scheme, and that the scheme directly involved &ldquo;set-aside&rdquo; programs aimed at helping minority businesses, isn&rsquo;t going to make the agency or its defenders look any better.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Their scheme violated the public trust by corrupting the federal government&rsquo;s procurement process,&rdquo; Galeotti said in the release.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Anybody who cares about good and effective government should be concerned about the waste, fraud, and abuse in government agencies, including USAID.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A government official from an agency targeted for cuts by President Trump has admitted guilt, along with three businessmen, in a bribery scheme lasting ten years that misused over $500 million of taxpayer funds, according to the Justice Department. The DOJ&#8217;s Thursday announcement revealed that Roderick Watson, 57, a contracting officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), directed contracts to certain companies in exchange for bribes. These bribes included cash, laptops, expensive NBA game tickets, wedding expenses at a country club, mortgage down payments, cell phones, and job placements for relatives<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2447519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/DOJ-Building.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[57201,32750,16381],"class_list":["post-2447518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bribery-scheme","tag-guilty-plea","tag-usaid"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/DOJ-Building.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2447518"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2447522,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447518\/revisions\/2447522"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2447519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2447518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2447518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2447518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}