USAID Official Charged With COVID Bailout Fraud Using Fake Company

A USAID employee has been charged with fraudulently creating a fake company to secure COVID-19 benefits for himself, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Yusuf Akoll, who was in charge of managing contracts for the agency, made false statements to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

“Yusuf Akoll worked as a Senior Procurement Contract Specialist at the U.S. Agency for International Development,” according to a previously unreported court document.

“From at least in or around March 2021, and continuing through at least in or around August 2021, Akoll [made] materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements…that resulted in Akoll receiving two [Paycheck Protection Program] loans totaling approximately $16,666 that he was not entitled to receive.”

Prosecutors said that Akoll registered a company in Virginia called Naagode Consulting LLC in November 2020 before applying for a PPP loan under the coronavirus bailout package.

Akoll claimed he worked at Naagode and that the money was necessary to prevent job losses.

However, only companies in operation by February 2020 were eligible, so Akoll falsely claimed the company was established in January 2020. He also said the company had $40,000 in income in 2019—when it actually had zero—in order to claim a loss of income.

JP reported that Akoll was accused of making false statements in Washington, D.C., federal court via an “information,” which typically signals a plea deal.

The news highlights how the federal government carelessly disbursed massive sums during the coronavirus pandemic.

The lack of basic verification—such as checking state incorporation records or federal tax returns—demonstrates how easily companies could obtain funds with false claims.

The fact that Akoll’s fake company was established in November 2020, despite claims it operated in January, supports accusations of government oversight failure.

Records show that Akoll was responsible for managing hundreds of thousands of dollars in contracts flowing to foreign countries, where the money was often difficult to monitor.

Earlier this year, Elon Musk referred to USAID as a “criminal organization” after reports alleged senior officials attempted to block individuals from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die,” Musk wrote on his platform, X.