WASHINGTON- Atif Hussein Gillani, 45, a Pakistani national, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and was sentenced on September 23, 2025, for conspiracy to commit theft while working as a contractor on a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded power distribution program in Pakistan, announced Sean M. Bottary, USAID Office of Inspector General (USAID OIG)’s Acting Assistant IG for Investigations.
From May through November 2015, Gillani and his co-conspirator—who was his supervisor—carried out a kickback scheme by creating two companies, obtaining purchase orders for forklift and crane services from a USAID awardee, and distributing the profits to themselves.
As part of the scheme, Gillani arranged for local vendors to provide the services for substantially less than the rates in the purchase orders. Gillani’s co-conspirator ensured that the company paid the invoices despite suspicions raised by an accounts payable officer. U.S. government sentencing documents stated USAID was defrauded of almost $100,000.
Gillani pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of U.S. funds and was sentenced to time served, $52,000 restitution jointly and severally with his co-conspirator, and a $9,000 forfeiture.
In May 2025, Gillani’s co-conspirator pleaded guilty and was sentenced for the fraud scheme. See the original DOJ Press Release and USAID OIG Press Release.
This case was investigated by the USAID Office of Inspector General and was prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office for Washington, D.C., with meaningful assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Washington, D.C.
USAID OIG’s criminal, civil, and administrative investigations of fraud and corruption involving taxpayer-funded foreign assistance remain active and ongoing. For more on USAID OIG’s investigative results, please visit https://oig.usaid.gov/our-work/investigations. OIG reminds personnel and implementers to continue to report allegations of misconduct OIG’s Hotline, consistent with their award requirements or other legal obligations.