The USAID Office of Inspector General (OIG), a statutorily independent law enforcement agency, initiated an investigation into allegations that Luis Meneses, Founder and former President of the Colombian non-profit FUVADIS, engaged in sexual exploitation and abuse in connection with a USAID/Colombia funded cooperative agreement. FUVADIS provided aid services to Venezuelan migrants, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) community, and people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), among others.
The ensuing investigation revealed allegations that Meneses engaged in sexual quid-pro-quos with program participants for benefits, and that Meneses committed fraud by diverting free donor-provided HIV medications intended for FUVADIS beneficiaries and selling them for personal financial gain. During the investigation, OIG also discovered that at least six organizations operating in the region had discontinued their professional relationship with FUVADIS because of the number of allegations received against Meneses from their beneficiaries and partner organizations.
OIG referred Meneses for suspension and debarment consideration, as well as FUVADIS for failing to properly mitigate and address the allegations of sexual exploitation and fraud against Meneses. Leonardo Meneses, Luis Meneses’ brother and current Legal Representative of FUVADIS, was also referred given his role in the organization.
On September 22, 2026, USAID issued notices of five-year debarments for Luis Meneses, FUVADIS, and Leonardo Meneses based on the alleged misconduct OIG’s investigation revealed.
USAID OIG continues to investigate fraud, corruption, diversion, and other misconduct impacting U.S.-funded foreign assistance programs and operations across multiple agencies. Please report any alleged misuse of U.S. taxpayer dollars impacting American foreign assistance to the OIG Hotline through https://oig.usaid.gov/report-fraud.
For more on USAID OIG’s investigative activities, please visit https://oig.usaid.gov/our-work/investigations.