USAID Official, Three Contractors Plead Guilty To Half-Billion Dollar Bribery Scheme

A senior official at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and three private contractors have pleaded guilty in one of the largest bribery schemes in modern federal contracting history—redirecting over half a billion dollars in foreign aid contracts in exchange for lavish kickbacks.

The Core of the Scheme

Roderick Watson, a federal contracting officer at USAID, admitted to taking over $1 million in bribes to funnel contracts to favored companies between 2013 and 2023. These included Apprio, Inc. and Vistant (formerly PM Consulting Group), both of which exploited their 8(a) small business certifications to gain access to sole-source contracts—then funneled work back and forth between one another, bypassing open competition.

The Players Involved

• Darryl Britt, founder and CEO of Apprio, confessed to conspiring in the bribery. His firm received over $270 million in USAID contracts during the scheme.

• Walter Barnes III, founder of Vistant, pleaded guilty to both bribery conspiracy and securities fraud. His bribes included an all-expenses-paid wedding for Watson, luxury vacations, mortgage assistance, and other hidden perks.

• Paul Young, president of a subcontractor company, admitted to helping facilitate the bribery payments through concealed channels.

The Fallout

Together, the companies secured at least 14 federal contracts totaling more than $550 million—despite often lacking competitive justification. In exchange, Watson received cash, electronics, event tickets, and even jobs for relatives.

All three companies involved are now under strict Deferred Prosecution Agreements and must overhaul their compliance programs, cooperate with ongoing investigations, and report regularly to the Department of Justice.

What Comes Next

• Roderick Watson faces up to 15 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for October.

• Britt, Barnes, and Young face up to five years each, with sentencing set for various dates through the fall.

Why It Matters

This case underscores how a federal program designed to uplift disadvantaged small businesses was instead exploited by insiders for personal gain. It also reveals critical gaps in oversight that allowed a single USAID official to steer contracts worth hundreds of millions with minimal resistance.

The Justice Department has signaled that this is part of a broader crackdown on procurement fraud and abuse of SBA contracting programs—warning that more enforcement is coming.

This wasn’t just a violation of the law—it was a betrayal of public trust on a global scale.