The Department of Justice and the IRS discovered a massive bribery scandal within USAID, indicting four swamp creatures, including USAID contracting officer Roderick Watson and businessman Walter Barnes. According to authorities, the men were able to make off with millions in ill-gotten gains.
For context, Watson received over $1 million in bribes, including cash, NBA tickets, and a country club wedding, in exchange for offering preferential treatment to certain contractors. Thankfully, eagle-eyed administrators at the Small Business Administration have vowed to learn from this case and promised widespread audits to expose fraud.
Providing a vital insight on the issue, Sean Bottary, Acting Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at USAID, explained that his office will not tolerate this type of graft. He promised, “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. USAID-OIG is firmly committed to rooting out fraud and corruption within U.S. foreign assistance programs.”
Connecting the indictment to his mission at the controversial USAID, Bottary added, “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.”
Offering another view, the Chief of IRS Criminal Investigation, Guy Ficco, harshly criticised the men at the center of this scandal. He explained, “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.”
Building on these points, Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, salmed the callous bureaucrat. Galeotti explained, “Anybody who cares about good and effective government should be concerned about the waste, fraud, and abuse in government agencies, including USAID.”
Still not done taking the alleged criminals to task, the DOJ official stated, “The defendants sought to enrich themselves at the expense of American taxpayers through bribery and fraud. Their scheme violated the public trust by corrupting the federal government’s procurement process,” adding, “This brazen scheme violated the public trust and exploited programs meant to uplift disadvantaged businesses.”
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Continuing the epic takedown, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler reported that fraud of this type is all too common in the stricken government agency. She explained, “The amount of fraud within USAID is a damning reflection of systemic failures in oversight and accountability. The case of Roderick Watson was not an isolated incident.”
Describing the decisive action she was planning to ensure taxpayers are not defrauded, saying, “In recent years, SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program has seen rampant fraud – and increasingly egregious instances of abuse.”
Concluding her remarks, she stated, “Effective immediately, I am launching a full-scale audit of the program to stop bad actors from making the kind of backroom deals that have already cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. The SBA [is] determined to hold both contracting officers and 8(a) participants accountable – and start rewarding merit instead of those who game the system.”