USAID Corruption: Fed Official Pleads Guilty to $550 Bribery Scheme

An official at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) -- famously targeted by Elon Musk -- has pleaded guilty to a decade-long corrupt scheme.

A longtime U.S. foreign aid official and three corporate bosses have pleaded guilty to a massive decade-long bribery scheme that steered over $550 million in contracts through rigged federal deals — all funded by U.S. taxpayers.

Roderick Watson, 57, a senior contracting officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), accepted more than $1 million in bribes, including cash, luxury perks, and a country club wedding. In return, he helped funnel contracts to two government vendors and their associates, according to a press release issued by the Justice Department on Thursday.

Also pleading guilty, per DOJ, are Walter Barnes, 46, of Potomac, Md., president of PM Consulting Group LLC (also known as Vistant); Darryl Britt, 64, of Myakka City, Fla., president of Apprio Inc.; and Paul Young, 62, of Columbia, Md., a subcontractor tied to both companies.

“These defendants sought to enrich themselves at the expense of American taxpayers through bribery and fraud,” Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the DOJ’s Criminal Division, said in a statement.

The feds say the scheme began in 2013 when Watson agreed to steer contracts toward Britt’s company, Apprio, a certified “small disadvantaged business” under the SBA’s 8(a) program — which lets certain firms bypass competitive bidding.

When Apprio “graduated” from the program, Watson helped Barnes’ company Vistant take the lead, with Apprio now in the subcontractor role — continuing the cycle of corruption between 2018 and 2022, prosecutors said.

Barnes and Britt allegedly funneled bribes through Young to disguise the kickbacks. The DOJ said the goodies included tickets to NBA suite games, electronics, fake payroll listings, two mortgage down payments, and jobs for Watson’s relatives.

All four pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy charges.

Watson also faces a separate bribery charge as a federal official. Sentencing for the group is set between July and October, with Watson facing up to 15 years behind bars.

According to the DOJ, both Vistant and Apprio admitted criminal liability and entered deferred prosecution agreements. Despite facing criminal penalties of $86 million and $51 million respectively, both firms claimed they couldn’t pay — and DOJ let them off with civil settlements of just $100,000 for Vistant and $500,000 for Apprio.

Watson also played a key role in helping Vistant land a $14 million loan from a private investment firm by falsely vouching for the company’s performance without disclosing the bribes, according to court documents. The endorsement helped Barnes pocket a $10 million dividend, prosecutors said.

Britt pulled a similar stunt with another investment firm in 2023, hiding his history of bribing Watson while brokering an $8 million equity and loan deal for Apprio.

“The actions of the defendants in this scheme serve to erode public trust,” said FBI Assistant Director Joe Perez.