Ohio Exec’s Nephew Busted in USDA Kickback Scheme

Ohio Exec’s Nephew Busted in USDA Kickback Scheme

WASHINGTON – In a shocking case of corruption, Kirk Perry, 59, of Lorain, Ohio, and his nephew Jamarea Grant, 30, of Cleveland, Ohio, were arrested this morning on wire fraud and conspiracy charges filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

According to the indictment, from August 2015 through November 2022, Perry, a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Program Director, arranged for Grant to be hired by two companies under contract with the USDA Office for Civil Rights. Court documents allege that Grant reported directly to Perry, and the two of them conspired to bill the government for work that Grant did not actually perform.

Grant is alleged to have received nearly $400,000 for work he did not do, and, in return, kicked back approximately $125,000 to Perry as part of the criminal scheme. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison for the charged offenses of Money, Property, and Honest Services Wire Fraud, and Conspiracy to Commit Money, Property, and Honest Services Wire Fraud.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, Sensitive Investigations Office (SIO), investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Kelly and Joshua Rothstein of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The case is a stark reminder of the pervasive corruption that plagues our institutions and the importance of holding public officials accountable for their actions.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio provided valuable assistance in the investigation and prosecution of the case. The case highlights the need for increased transparency and accountability in government contracting and the importance of robust oversight mechanisms to prevent such schemes from occurring in the future.