USAID has debarred three more individuals and a company tied to agency programs after investigations uncovered misconduct involving government resources and taxpayer funds, as reported [1] by Just The News.
The latest actions add to a growing record of abuse as the foreign aid agency is being dismantled.
Debarment bars a person or business from federal contracts, grants, and other government work for a set period. USAID’s inspector general investigates cases and makes referrals, while the agency decides whether to impose the penalty.
The newest case involves an unnamed federal contracting officer with the USAID Mission for Zimbabwe. An Office of Inspector General investigation released Tuesday found that he used government-furnished equipment to view and store sexually explicit material.
“USAID IG’s investigations are protecting American taxpayers from funding wasteful, corrupt, and in this case, perverted behavior by federal employees entrusted with foreign assistance programming in Africa,” a senior Trump administration official told Just the News.
Investigators found that the officer used two government-issued iPhones to view and store the material. He also used a government laptop to procure commercial sex, including sending messages that appeared to solicit commercial sex.
USAID policies prohibit even the appearance of facilitating activities related to trafficking. The officer admitted to investigators that he viewed and stored the explicit material on government devices, but he does not appear to have admitted soliciting commercial sex.
After the investigation, his overseas assignment was curtailed, and he later resigned from USAID. He was referred for suspension and debarment, and USAID approved a five-year debarment, although the investigation summary provided no dates or timeline for the events.
USAID was founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to administer civilian foreign aid and development assistance. After the second Trump administration began in January 2025, the agency was effectively dismantled, although fully abolishing it requires an act of Congress.
In July 2025, the administration implemented mass staff reductions, canceled 83% of USAID programs, and transferred the remaining programs to the State Department. The agency was not fully dismantled.
Earlier this month, a separate case produced three-year debarments for Project HOPE workers Abiodun Ogunwale of Virginia and Abimbola Ajayi of Maryland, along with Ajayi’s company, AbbiFabDynamics, LLC. An inspector general report released Oct. 1 said Ogunwale and Ajayi were convicted and sentenced.
They were found to have committed wire and mail fraud, along with conspiracy to commit money laundering. Project HOPE, which has not been accused of wrongdoing, is a nonprofit funded by USAID and dedicated to global public health, where Ogunwale served as director of business development, and Ajayi worked as a consultant.
Ajayi submitted fraudulent invoices created by Ogunwale to falsely show that she had performed work. Ogunwale approved those invoices and ensured her payment, while Ajayi also submitted fraudulent receipts claiming business expenses for AbbiFabDynamics and collected additional fraudulent payments.
The inspector general reported that Ajayi used her ill-gotten gains to compensate Ogunwale through several avenues, including payments on his credit card bills. Both individuals and AbbiFabDynamics received three-year debarments.
Other USAID debarments reported in September included Colombian nonprofit FUVADIS, which provided aid services to Venezuelan migrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with HIV, and others.
It was debarred after an investigation found that its former president and affiliates allegedly sexually exploited people the organization purported to help.
Other nonprofit organizations were debarred for rerouting medical supplies funded by the United States for illegal sale.
The senior Trump administration official estimated that about 50 individuals and nonprofits have been debarred since President Donald Trump started his second term and Elon Musk targeted federal waste, fraud and abuse.
That estimate includes many HAMAS officials discovered at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, but excludes more than 100 Hamas referrals from that agency awaiting State Department action. House Democrats, meanwhile, have denounced USAID cuts.
In February 2025, Democratic lawmakers signed a letter claiming that “despite long-standing bipartisan support for USAID initiatives that fight violence against women and girls, the proposed elimination of USAID and its funding would roll back years of progress across the globe and violate U.S. law.”
Signers included Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Jasmine Crockett of Texas, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.