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Embassy Employee Charged in $237,236 Theft
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A shocking case of corruption has come to light as it was announced today that Osama Esam Saleem Ayesh, a 36-year-old foreign national employed at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, has been charged with theft of public money and acts affecting a personal financial interest in connection with $237,236 in U.S. Government funds.
According to the indictment, Ayesh held the position of shipping and customs supervisor at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, where he was responsible for preparing the necessary documents and logistical support for customs clearance and delivery of shipments coming into Iraq for the embassy and embassy officials and personnel.
Ayesh’s primary residence was in Amman, Jordan, despite working at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The indictment alleges that, between November 2008 and June 2010, Ayesh fraudulently caused $237,236 in U.S. Government funds, intended for the payment of services provided to the U.S. Embassy pursuant to two Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs), to be sent to a bank account in Jordan that he controlled.
The indictment further alleges that, between September 2008 and June 2010, Ayesh participated in the creation and operation of BPAs executed by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, in which Ayesh knew that he and his wife had a financial interest. The indictment also alleges that Ayesh knew that he and his wife had a financial interest in the instigation of U.S. electronic funds transfers to pay for services rendered under those BPAs.
The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent. If convicted, Ayesh faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the theft of public funds counts, and a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conflict of interest charge.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney David H. Laufman of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, on detail from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, and by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas H. McQuillan for the Eastern District of Virginia. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance. The case is being investigated by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of State and the FBI, Washington Field Office, as part of the International Contract Corruption Task Force.
The ICCTF is a joint law enforcement agency task force that seeks to detect, investigate, and dismantle corruption and contract fraud resulting from U.S. Overseas Contingency Operations worldwide, including in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Public Corruption|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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