‘Tip of the iceberg’: USAID official, 3 company execs plead guilty in $550M fraud and bribery scheme

In a story that’s being completely ignored by the propaganda press, a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contracting officer has pleaded guilty to bribery and securities fraud.

The scheme began in 2013, when contracting officer Roderick Watson, 57, agreed to use his position and power to award contracts to Apprio, a small business owned by Darryl Britt, 64.

“As a certified small business under the SBA 8(a) contracting program, which helps socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, Apprio could access lucrative federal contracting opportunities through set-asides and sole-source contracts exclusively available to eligible contractors without a competitive bid process,” according to a Department of Justice press release.

USAID Official and Three Corporate Executives Plead Guilty to Decade-Long Bribery Scheme Involving Over $550 Million in Contracts; Two Companies Admit Criminal Liability for Bribery Scheme and Securities Fraudhttps://t.co/dOvZlhbc3Y

— Criminal Division (@DOJCrimDiv) June 13, 2025

So could its subcontractor Vistant, which is owned by Walter Barnes, 46. This all changed when Apprio reportedly “graduated” from the SBA 8(a) program and was no longer eligible to be a prime contractor.

“[T]he scheme shifted so that Vistant became the prime contractor and Apprio became the subcontractor on USAID contracts awarded through Watson’s influence between 2018 and 2022,” the press release notes.

Here’s where things get a tad more complicated.

Between 2018 and 2022, Britt (the owner of Apprio) and Barnes (the owner of Vistant) paid bribes to Watson but concealed them by passing them through Young, described by the DOJ as “the president of another subcontractor to Apprio and Visant.”

“Britt and Barnes also regularly funneled bribes to Watson, including cash, laptops, thousands of dollars in tickets to a suite at an NBA game, a country club wedding, downpayments on two residential mortgages, cellular phones, and jobs for relatives,” the press release notes.

“The bribes were also often concealed through electronic bank transfers falsely listing Watson on payroll, incorporated shell companies, and false invoices. Watson is alleged to have received bribes valued at more than approximately $1 million as part of the scheme,” it continues.

In exchange for all this, Watson reportedly directed contracts to Apprio and Vistant by manipulating the contract procurement process at USAID via various means.

These means included “recommending their companies to other USAID decisionmakers for non-competitive contract awards, disclosing sensitive procurement information during the competitive bidding process, providing positive performance evaluations to a government agency, and approving decisions on the contracts, such as increased funding and a security clearance.”

Britt, Barnes, and Young all also pleaded guilty on Thursday as well, though on lesser charges than Watson, who reportedly faces up to 15 years in prison when he’s sentenced on Oct. 6.

NEW: USAID Official Roderick Watson and 3 Executives Plead Guilty in $550M, Decade-Long Bribery and Fraud Scheme Tied to 14 Federal Contracts pic.twitter.com/mX8L9teh8C

— MAGAgeddon (@MAGAgeddon) June 13, 2025

The three meanwhile face five years each during their July 28 (Britt), Sept. 3 (Young), and Oct. 14 (Barnes) sentencing dates.

While these indictments are a big deal, former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk has predicted that they’re “just the tip of the iceberg.”

This is just the tip of the iceberg https://t.co/MXXCJBDdLn

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 13, 2025

His suspicion is likely based on USAID’s deep history of corruption, including its notorious funding of terror-tied groups like Hamas.

“In November 2022 … USAID awarded $100,000 to a Palestinian activist group whose leaders hailed the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a designated terror group,” according to the Washington Free Beacon.

“Just six days before Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault on Israel, USAID handed $900,000 ‘to a terror charity in Gaza involved with the son of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh,’” the reporting continues.

NGO Monitor has also been tracking USAID’s funding of pro-Hamas and anti-Israel groups.

“In 2022, USAID provided $78,000 to the Community Development and Continuing Education Institute, three years after the group’s board chair participated in an event honoring the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a U.S.-designated terror group,” according to Jewish Insider.

“Between 2009 and 2012, USAID provided $1.1 million to Just Vision to produce “short films.” In 2021, Just Vision released a documentary called ‘Boycott’ that criticized U.S. laws targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement,” the reporting continues.

It’s no surprise, therefore, that when the Trump administration began targeting USAID, groups like Hamas were the ones most affected.

TERROR: Who knew that the easiest way to defeat Hamas was to shutdown USAID? Evidently even terrorists won’t work for free. The US provided as much as 70% of the funding for the Palestinians and their fighters and with it gone they can’t pay their soldiers or leaders. pic.twitter.com/hJxBFsrnph

— @amuse (@amuse) April 17, 2025