Roderick Watson, a former employee of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Biden administration, has pleaded guilty alongside three businessmen in connection with a $550 million bribery scheme involving the agency.
Watson, a Maryland resident, admitted to accepting over $1 million in bribes in exchange for steering 14 federal contracts to two USAID vendors—Apprio and Vistant. At the time, he held a position of trust with oversight over taxpayer-funded contracts.
The 57-year-old pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. His sentencing is scheduled for October. The pleas come just a few weeks after former DOGE boss Elon Musk left his position after his investigators say they found lots of corruption at USAID.
According to the Justice Department, the scheme involved Vistant owner Walter Barnes and Apprio owner Darryl Britt, who used Paul Young—the president of a subcontractor affiliated with both companies—as an intermediary to deliver some of the bribes to Watson.
Barnes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official and securities fraud. Britt and Young each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official. In addition, Apprio and Vistant—both contractors with USAID—have agreed to admit criminal liability and enter into three-year deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) as part of criminal informations filed in the District of Maryland.
“The defendants sought to enrich themselves at the expense of American taxpayers through bribery and fraud,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their scheme violated the public trust by corrupting the federal government’s procurement process.
“Anybody who cares about good and effective government should be concerned about the waste, fraud, and abuse in government agencies, including USAID. Those who engage in bribery schemes to exploit the U.S. Small Business Administration’s vital economic programs for small businesses — whether individuals or corporations acting through them — will be held to account,” Galeotti added.
Prosecutors say the scheme began in 2013, when Watson, serving as a USAID contracting officer, agreed to direct government contracts to Britt’s company, Apprio, in exchange for bribes. According to a report by the New York Post, Apprio qualified for valuable federal contracts through its designation as a “socially and economically disadvantaged” business by the Small Business Administration (SBA).
After Apprio “graduated” from the SBA’s 8(a) program, the scheme shifted course. From 2018 to 2022, Watson began directing contracts to Vistant, a subcontractor of Apprio owned by Barnes. As with the earlier arrangement, Watson steered the contracts in exchange for bribes, prosecutors said.
