Ryan Scott McMonigle, Aiding and Abetting Solicitation of Kickback, Oklahoma 2009

A scheme to solicit kickbacks in connection with the award of a private security services subcontract to protect U.S. government personnel and contractors in Afghanistan has led to the guilty plea of an Oklahoma man. Ryan Scott McMonigle, 38, of Ponca City, Okla., pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the solicitation of a kickback.

According to court documents, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the principal federal U.S. agency that extends assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty and engaging in democratic reforms. The agency works to support long-term and equitable economic growth and to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives.

In August 2006, USAID awarded a $1.4 billion contract known as the Afghanistan Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project (the AIRP contract). The AIRP contract required the award of numerous subcontracts, including for the provision of security services to protect AIRP workers. McMonigle admitted that he assisted others in the solicitation of a kickback from a private security vendor in return for favorable treatment for this potential bidder in connection with the award of one or more subcontracts.

The charge of aiding and abetting the solicitation of a kickback carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum.

McMonigle is scheduled to be sentenced on November 5, 2010. In addition to McMonigle, Bryan Lee Borrows, who was also employed in Kabul by Civilian Police International, pleaded guilty on September 2, 2009, to conspiring with others to solicit kickbacks from private security vendors in return for favorable treatment for those potential bidders in connection with the award of one or more subcontracts.

Borrows was sentenced on December 19, 2009, to 12 months and one day in prison for his role in the scheme. Scott Anthony Walker, of Australia, pleaded guilty on November 16, 2009, to one count of conspiracy to solicit a kickback, related to his role in the scheme. Walker was arrested in the United States on November 11, 2009, and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 5, 2010.

Related Federal Cases