Press Release

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Ann Calvaresi Barr, the Inspector General of the United States Agency for International Development (“USAID”), announced the unsealing today of an indictment charging RENE DJESSA and DANIEL OHOYO, both nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”), with conspiracy and theft of government property in connection with a scheme to divert tens of thousands of doses of anti-malarial medication funded by the President’s Malaria Initiative (“PMI”) for resale on the black market in East Africa.

The U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General, or OIG, was recognized for the impact of its investigative and audit work at the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency’s 21st annual awards ceremony. OIG received awards in four categories based on its oversight of humanitarian aid programs in Syria, investigations into material support to terrorism, and its report on lessons learned from the 2014 Ebola crisis.

Zachary Alexander Paul, a former finance manager for United Cerebral Palsy Wheels for Humanity, or UCP, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to six months in prison for embezzling over $140,000 in funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Inspector General convened representatives from over 50 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to discuss ways of fighting fraud, waste, and abuse in humanitarian aid programs. The day-long roundtable provided information on evolving fraud trends, mitigating the risk of diverting funds and providing material support to terrorist and other armed groups, and addressing allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation of aid beneficiaries.

The Justice Department announced today that Sorensen Gross Construction Company (Sorensen) and its corporate vice president, Khalil Saab, have agreed to pay $2.481 million to resolve allegations that they submitted false claims for payment under a construction contract funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Ann Calvaresi Barr, Inspector General for the U.S. Agency for International Development (“USAID”), announced today the filing and settlement of a civil fraud complaint against NORWEGIAN PEOPLE’S AID (“NPA”), a non-profit, non-governmental organization headquartered in Norway, that receives funding from USAID.

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is conducting a complex investigation into cross-border aid programs providing humanitarian relief in Syria. These programs are run from both Turkey and Jordan by multiple nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with funds from USAID and other international donors.
Recent international press reports have raised issues of irregularities involving some of these programs.

WASHINGTON – A former contracting officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (“USAID”), Waymon A. Carroll, 61, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to one count of making a false claim, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 287, Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Adrienne R. Rish, USAID Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, announced today.

WASHINGTON -    An Oklahoma man pleaded guilty today for his role in a scheme to solicit kickbacks in connection with the award of a private security .se rvices subcontract to protect U.S. government personnel and contractors in Afghanistan, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, Assistant Attorney General Christine A. Varney of the Antitrust Division and U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia.

WASHINGTON – Delmar Dwayne Spier, the chief executive officer and managing director of United States Protection and Investigations, LLC (USPI), today pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to conspiracy, major fraud and wire fraud arising from an alleged scheme to defraud the United States; and his wife, Barbara Edens Spier, the president and owner of USPI, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with U.S.-sponsored rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A.