23202694 USAID Gave Known Con Man $800M Contract To Do Kamala’s Work On ‘Root Causes Of Migration’
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded an $800 million contract to a business, despite knowing that its key manager had secured previous USAID contracts through bribery. This contract was specifically for addressing the "root causes of irregular migration from Central America to the United States," work that was assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris, but which she reportedly never appeared to address.
Details of the Bribery Scheme and Contracts:
Individuals Involved: The scheme involved Roderick Watson, a USAID contracting officer, and three corporate executives: Walter Barnes III, founder of Vistant (formerly PM Consulting Group), Darryl Britt, president of Apprio, and Paul Young, president of another subcontractor.
How the Scheme Worked:
Watson agreed to accept bribes from Britt in exchange for influencing the award of USAID contracts to Apprio.
Apprio, a certified small business under the SBA 8(a) contracting program, could access lucrative federal contracting opportunities through set-asides and sole-source contracts without a competitive bid process.
When Apprio was no longer eligible for the 8(a) program, the scheme shifted: Vistant became the prime contractor, with Apprio as the subcontractor, still benefiting from Watson's influence.
Bribes to Watson included cash, laptops, NBA game tickets, a country club wedding, down payments on two residential mortgages, cellular phones, and jobs for relatives. These payments were often concealed by passing them through Young or through electronic bank transfers falsely listing Watson on payroll and incorporated shell companies. Watson allegedly received over $1 million in bribes.
Contract Values: The contracts associated with this bribery scheme totaled $544 million between 2013 and 2022, starting with a $4.8 million "staffing contract" in 2013 and escalating to a $95 million "technical support" contract in 2022. An additional three potential contracts totaling $287 million were not ultimately awarded.
Government Awareness and Continuation of Contracts:
USAID inspector general investigators were aware of the corruption by 2023.
On November 9, 2023, the government formally barred Vistant and Barnes from contracting due to "evidence of conduct indicating a lack of business honesty or integrity".
However, on the same day, a joint venture involving Barnes' company (PMCG CollaborateUp JV LLC) was chosen for the "root causes of migration" contract, valued at up to $800 million.
A USAID contracting official initially considered this contract "legally questionable" and tried to rescind it, noting that the joint venture primarily acted as a middleman for Vistant, whose "driving force" (Barnes) was banned.
Despite this, USAID formally awarded the $800 million "indefinite quantity" contract on August 22, 2024, making an initial payment of $10,000.
One week later, prosecutors offered a plea deal to a co-conspirator, detailing the long-running investigation's findings.
The contract was eventually terminated in February 2025, not because of Barnes' corruption, but because the Trump administration was "shuttering USAID over suspicion that graft and insider deals were common".
The Biden administration's General Services Administration (GSA) also awarded PMCG CollaborateUp JV LLC two five-year indefinite delivery contracts, one with a cap listed as $999,999,999,999.00, even after the government knew Barnes had secured contracts through bribery.
Purpose of the "Root Causes of Migration" Contract:
The contract was aimed at addressing issues causing irregular migration from Central America to the U.S..
CollaborateUp, the joint venture partner, stated it would address migration by focusing on "climate change," and also touted its work in "advancing DEIA" (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) and combating "misinformation".
Mark A. Green, former Republican congressman and Trump's appointee to lead USAID, was added to CollaborateUp's payroll as a "senior advisor".
CollaborateUp also claims to have "co-developed" USAID's "procurement reform" policies "alongside former Administrator Mark Green," meaning the company put in charge of contracting reform benefited from the corrupted process.
Legal Outcomes and Broader Implications:
source: https://8kun.top/qresearch/