The USAID Office of Inspector General (OIG), a statutorily independent law enforcement agency, initiated an investigation into allegations concerning a foreign service Contracting Officer with the USAID Mission for Zimbabwe (USAID/Zimbabwe).
As part of the investigation, OIG’s Digital Forensics and Investigative Technology Division (DFIT) conducted an analysis of the subject’s government furnished equipment (GFE), including two GFE iPhones and one GFE laptop. DFIT’s review revealed that the subject had viewed and stored sexually explicit material on his GFE iPhones and had visited several websites on his GFE laptop for procuring commercial sex and sent messages that showed the appearance of soliciting commercial sex, all in violation of USAID policies and longstanding U.S. government positions on the appearance of facilitating trafficking-related activities.
The subject subsequently admitted to OIG investigators that he had viewed and stored sexually explicit material on his GFE devices. Based on the results of our investigation and the subject’s admission, OIG sent an interim referral to USAID’s Office of Human Capital and Talent Management. In response, USAID curtailed the subject’s assignment overseas. The subject then voluntarily resigned from USAID.
OIG referred the subject to USAID’s suspension and debarment office for possible administrative action. On September 22, 2026, USAID notified OIG that the subject had been debarred for a period of five years.
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.