Investigations
Guilty Plea in Theft and Sale of Hundreds of Government-Issued Phones and Computers Slated for Destruction
Nikhil Parekh, 37, of Randallstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with the theft and sale of hundreds of government-issued smartphones, laptop computers, and other IT devices that had been slated for destruction.
The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Chief J. Thomas Manger of the U.S. Capitol Police, and USAID Special Agent in Charge Sean Bottary of the USAID Office of Inspector General.
Chemonics International, Inc. to Pay $3.1 Million to Resolve Allegations of Fraudulent Billing Under Global Health Supply Chain Contract
WASHINGTON – Chemonics International, Inc. (Chemonics), a private international development firm based in Washington, DC, has agreed to pay $3,119,582 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting fraudulent claims for payment to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Chemonics disclosed the fraudulent billing to the United States in 2020.
Syrian National Charged with Diverting $9 Million in U.S.-funded Humanitarian Assistance to a Terrorist Organization Affiliated with Al-Qaida
WASHINGTON – Mahmoud Al Hafyan, 53, a Syrian national, has been charged in a 12-count indictment, unsealed today in U.S. District Court, alleging major fraud against the United States for illegally diverting more than $9 million in U.S.-funded humanitarian aid intended for Syrian civilians to armed combatant groups, including the Al-Nusrah Front (ANF), which is a designated foreign terrorist organization affiliated with al-Qaida in Iraq.