Of the billions of tax {dollars} spent by the U.S. Company for Worldwide Growth Workplace (USAID) which might be being questioned by the Trump administration, thousands and thousands 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 have been utilized in one latest terrorism-related case.
“The case represents some of the important diversions of USAID-funded humanitarian help that USAID-OIG has investigated,” USAID’s Workplace of Inspector Normal mentioned.
It concerned a Syrian nationwide, Mahmoud Al Hafyan, who was charged with illegally diverting greater than $9 million of taxpayer cash via USAID to armed combatant teams, together with the Al-Nusrah Entrance (ANF), a delegated international terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaida in Iraq.
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In keeping with the indictment, Al Hafyan led a non-governmental group (NGO) in Syria, managing 160 staff.
Since Syria’s civil battle started in 2011, and thru 2020, U.S. taxpayers funded greater than $12 billion of USAID cash to Syria meant 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, based on the criticism. ANF, preventing to overthrow the Syrian authorities, was recognized for committing human rights atrocities, together with conducting mass executions of civilians, suicide bombings and kidnappings.
Al Hafyan allegedly bought the meals kits on the black market to the ANF commanders, falsifying paperwork to make it look like refugees have been receiving the meals.
The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the District of Columbia, USAID OIG, and the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division have been concerned within the case.
“This defendant not solely defrauded the U.S. authorities, however he additionally gave the humanitarian help he stole to a international terrorist group,” U.S. Lawyer Matthew Graves said in November. “Whereas this international terrorist group fought with the merciless al-Assad regime, the individuals who have been alleged to obtain the help 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 government of a digital consulting agency in Delaware agreed to pay a $100,000 settlement to resolve allegations that he knowingly triggered firm staff to submit false claims to USAID in an effort to obtain authorities contracts, overbill and cost for work that was by no means carried out, based on a 2022 complaint.
In another case, a worldwide well being nonprofit group based mostly in San Diego agreed to pay almost $550,000 to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims to USAID to obtain grants to purportedly present agricultural and different help 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 battle in Syria. The cash IRC obtained was meant for humanitarian help however IRC workers participated in a kickback scheme with a Turkish provide ring involving contract bid rigging as an alternative, based on the complaint.
In one other case, a former NGO official was sentenced to 40 months in jail for paying bribes to NGO officers in alternate 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 deceive regulation enforcement brokers and destroyed emails associated to the investigation, based on the complaint.
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 USA and making false statements to regulation enforcement, based on the complaint.
Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.
