A senior contracting officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been charged with defrauding the federal government by exploiting the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a fund designed to help struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to federal prosecutors, Yusuf Akoll created a fictitious company—Naagode Consulting LLC—to apply for and receive PPP funds he was never eligible for. The Virginia-based entity was allegedly fabricated for the sole purpose of securing federal relief money. Akoll falsely claimed the company had been in business since January 2020 and had earned $40,000 in income in 2019. In reality, the company was not operational and had no income during the required eligibility period.
Akoll managed contracts for USAID, a federal agency responsible for overseeing billions in foreign aid and development funding. Now, he’s facing criminal charges for stealing $16,666 in taxpayer funds through deceitful means. The charges were filed via an “information” in federal court in Washington, D.C.—a legal move that often signals the defendant may enter a guilty plea as part of a deal with prosecutors.
This case shines a spotlight on the lack of sufficient oversight in pandemic-era financial relief programs, where billions of dollars were distributed rapidly with limited verification. Lawmakers and watchdog groups have repeatedly raised concerns that programs like PPP, while well-intentioned, were vulnerable to abuse.
The Department of Justice has been ramping up investigations into PPP fraud, which has emerged as one of the largest categories of pandemic-related white-collar crime. Akoll’s position within USAID, an agency charged with fiscal responsibility and global assistance, makes the case even more alarming.
If convicted, Akoll faces serious consequences, including potential prison time and restitution. The case adds to a growing list of federal employees and contractors accused of enriching themselves through fraudulent claims while millions of small business owners and workers struggled to survive the economic fallout of the pandemic.