USAID Official Pleads Guilty In Sprawling Corruption Scheme

[240B]

USAID Official Pleads Guilty In Sprawling Corruption Scheme

Trending Politics News
By Cullen McCue
June 19, 2025

Roderick Watson, a former U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employee who worked under the Biden administration, and three businessmen have pleaded guilty to participating in a $550 million bribery scheme involving the embattled agency.

Watson, a Maryland native, is alleged to have received bribes valued north of $1 million 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, which were contracted with USAID.

Watson, 57, pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official and faces up to 15 years in federal prison. He is currently scheduled to be sentenced this upcoming October.

As part of the wide-reaching scheme, Vistant owner Walter Barnes and Darryl Britt, owner of Apprio, used Paul Young, the president of a subcontractor used by both Vistant and Apprio, as a middleman in order to facilitate some of the bribes that went to Watson, the Justice Department said in a press release.

Barnes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official and securities fraud. Britt has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official, while Young pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official.

(more)
https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/just-in-usaid-official-pleads-guilty-in-sprawling-corruption-scheme-cmc/

[240B]

USAID was a giant multi-billion or even trillions of dollars, illegal slush fund for Democrats. It was used to pay Democrats themselves and their friends along with all funding Democrat elections and all of their 'pet causes' worldwide.

[catfish1957]

I'd wager Watson is a GS-11 pawn, and might plea bargain to a lesser sentence,  if, he can or will implicate 3-4 levels up the org chart.

[mystery-ak]

I hope this is true..I would love to wipe the smirk off Sen Whitehouse face

Mila Joy
@MilaLovesJoe
·
3h
BREAKING NEWS:

It is being reported that Pam Bondi and the DOJ are going to be charging multiple high profile people for things that D.O.G.E. discovered.

Cases are being built now that include members of Congress and heads of agencies.

Cases expected to by hit early fall.

[Bigun]

I hope this is true..I would love to wipe the smirk off Sen Whitehouse face

Mila Joy
@MilaLovesJoe
·
3h
BREAKING NEWS:

It is being reported that Pam Bondi and the DOJ are going to be charging multiple high profile people for things that D.O.G.E. discovered.

Cases are being built now that include members of Congress and heads of agencies.

Cases expected to by hit early fall.

 

Cases expected to by hit early fall.

[Bigun]

USAID was a giant multi-billion or even trillions of dollars, illegal slush fund for Democrats. It was used to pay Democrats themselves and their friends along with all funding Democrat elections and all of their 'pet causes' worldwide.

Agreed! But I seriously doubt that only Democrats participated.

[240B]

Agreed! But I seriously doubt that only Democrats participated.

yes, I thought about that. That is why it lasted so long and was unaccountable to anyone.
While it was primarily a Democrat institution, I agree that the Pubs were in there somewhere.
Otherwise, it would have been shut down a decade ago.

[Hoodat]

Cases are being built now that include members of Congress and heads of agencies.

Cases expected to by hit early fall.

While we wait, can we at least cut the funding off now?

[Bigun]

While we wait, can we at least cut the funding off now?

  please!