Four individuals have pleaded guilty to participating in a bribery scheme involving the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which resulted in 14 contracts worth more than $550 million being improperly awarded to companies involved in the fraud, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a June 12 statement.
Roderick Watson, 57, of Maryland, a USAID contracting officer, pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official. Walter Barnes, 46, of Maryland, the owner of Vistant, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official and securities fraud.
