A massive bribery scheme spanning over a decade and involving more than half a billion dollars in federal contracts has led to guilty pleas from a senior U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) official and three corporate executives.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed the convictions on Friday, underscoring one of the largest procurement fraud scandals in recent federal history.
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Roderick Watson, 57, of Maryland, was a contracting officer at USAID. He pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official.
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Walter Barnes, 46, of Maryland, and Darryl Britt, 64, of Florida, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official. Barnes also pleaded guilty to securities fraud.
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Paul Young, 62, of Maryland, a subcontractor and facilitator, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.
Barnes and Britt headed PM Consulting Group LLC (doing business as Vistant) and Apprio, Inc., respectively. Both companies were enrolled in the SBA 8(a) contracting program, which is designed to give disadvantaged businesses a fair shot at federal contracting opportunities. Young acted as a middleman subcontractor and helped channel bribe payments.
The bribery scandal centered around Roderick Watson’s influence over USAID’s contract awards. In 2013, he struck a deal with Britt to steer no-bid or sole-source contracts toward Apprio in exchange for bribes. These contracts were made available through the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program, which waives the competitive bidding requirement under certain conditions.
When Apprio lost its 8(a) eligibility, the roles shifted. Vistant became the prime contractor and Apprio a subcontractor, with Watson continuing to use his position to direct contract awards between 2018 and 2022.
The corruption was concealed through layered transactions. Bribes were laundered via Paul Young’s subcontractor firm, allowing Barnes and Britt to mask illegal payments. Watson was reportedly paid in cash, electronics, NBA tickets, real estate down payments, cell phones, and even jobs for relatives—with the total value of the illicit gifts exceeding $1 million.
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Watson faces up to 15 years in federal prison for accepting bribes in exchange for manipulating the federal contracting process.
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Barnes, Britt, and Young each face up to five years for their roles in the conspiracy.
Chief Guy Ficco of IRS Criminal Investigation commented, “Watson exploited his position at USAID to line his pockets with bribes … while he helped three company owners and presidents bypass the fair bidding process, he was showered with cash and lavish gifts.”
