Of the billions of tax {dollars} spent by the U.S. Company for Worldwide Growth Workplace (USAID) which can be being questioned by the Trump administration, tens of millions went to fund terrorism.
A multi-year investigation introduced by the Justice Division and U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the District of Columbia reveals the scope of how funds had been utilized in one current terrorism-related case.
“The case represents one of the most significant diversions of USAID-funded humanitarian aid that USAID-OIG has investigated,” USAID’s Workplace of Inspector Normal stated.
It concerned a Syrian nationwide, Mahmoud Al Hafyan, who was charged with illegally diverting greater than $9 million of taxpayer cash by USAID to armed combatant teams, together with the Al-Nusrah Entrance (ANF), a chosen overseas terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaida in Iraq.
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In response to the indictment, Al Hafyan led a non-governmental group (NGO) in Syria, managing 160 staff.
Since Syria’s civil warfare started in 2011, and thru 2020, U.S. taxpayers funded greater than $12 billion of USAID cash to Syria supposed for meals and medical provides that was alleged to be administered by United Nations businesses and NGOs.
The NGO that Al Hafyan led obtained $122 million over a three-year interval, diverting meals kits meant for refugees to ANF commanders, in response to the grievance. ANF, combating to overthrow the Syrian authorities, was identified for committing human rights atrocities, together with conducting mass executions of civilians, suicide bombings and kidnappings.
Al Hafyan allegedly offered the meals kits on the black market to the ANF commanders, falsifying paperwork to make it seem to be refugees had been receiving the meals.
The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the District of Columbia, USAID OIG, and the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division had been concerned within the case.
“This defendant not only defrauded the U.S. government, but he also gave the humanitarian aid he stole to a foreign terrorist organization,” U.S. Lawyer Matthew Graves stated in November. “While this foreign terrorist organization fought with the cruel al-Assad regime, the people who were supposed to receive the aid suffered.”
Another examples of misuse of USAID funds prosecuted by the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the District of Columbia relate to a spread of fraud schemes.
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In a single case, a former govt of a digital consulting agency in Delaware agreed to pay a $100,000 settlement to resolve allegations that he knowingly precipitated firm staff to submit false claims to USAID to be able to obtain authorities contracts, overbill and cost for work that was by no means carried out, in response to a 2022 grievance.
In one other case, a worldwide well being nonprofit group primarily based in San Diego agreed to pay practically $550,000 to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims to USAID to obtain grants to purportedly present agricultural and different support to growing international locations.
In one other case, the Worldwide Rescue Committee agreed to pay $6.9 million to settle allegations beneath the False Claims Act associated to USAID-funded programming associated to the civil warfare in Syria. The cash IRC obtained was supposed for humanitarian help however IRC workers participated in a kickback scheme with a Turkish provide ring involving contract bid rigging as an alternative, in response to the grievance.
In one other case, a former NGO official was sentenced to 40 months in jail for paying bribes to NGO officers in change for delicate procurement info associated to NGO contracts partially funded by USAID. On this case, for 5 years, a Turkmenistan citizen coordinated a bid-rigging scheme, instructed staff to misinform legislation enforcement brokers and destroyed emails associated to the investigation, in response to the grievance.
In one other case, a former USAID deputy director and resident of Maryland pled responsible to fees associated to a contract-steering scheme, conspiracy to defraud the US and making false statements to legislation enforcement, in response to the grievance.
Syndicated with permission from The Heart Sq..
