USDA Employee Admits $1M+ Fraud Scheme

WASHINGTON D.C. – Ifediora Oli, 41, of Silver Spring, Maryland, a trusted employee of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), admitted today to orchestrating a brazen scheme to siphon over $1 million from both the District of Columbia and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The elaborate fraud, carried out alongside co-conspirators, involved bribery, falsified records, and the blatant misuse of official positions for personal gain.

The guilty plea, announced jointly by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott, WMATA Inspector General Michelle A. Zamarin, and D.C. Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, details a conspiracy stretching from 2018 to 2023. Oli pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money, property, and honest services wire fraud, and one count of falsifying records. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan has set sentencing for October 16. Co-defendants Bridgette Crowell and Obinna Ogbu have also confessed to their roles in the deceit.

Court documents reveal that Oli, while employed at the USDA, simultaneously operated Highbury Global Group, Inc. (Highbury). He colluded with Obinna Ogbu, a WMATA IT customer support manager who also acted as a contracting officer’s technical representative, and Bridgette Crowell, a District of Columbia Office of Contracting and Procurement (OCP) employee with prior ties to WMATA. Ogbu and Crowell were instrumental in steering WMATA contracts towards Highbury in exchange for illicit payments. By 2023, Oli and Highbury had pocketed nearly $500,000 through this corrupt arrangement.

The scheme expanded to include a District of Columbia contract for COVID-19 testing supplies. In January 2021, Crowell, while at the OCP, oversaw the solicitation for a vendor. She leaked non-public information about the contract – including pricing – to Oli and Ogbu, ensuring Highbury would be awarded the deal. The District ultimately paid Highbury over $630,000. In return, Oli directed over $100,000 to Ogbu, who then handed $15,000 in cash to Crowell, cementing their complicity. This wasn’t just about money; it was a calculated betrayal of public trust.

Beyond the direct financial fraud, Oli attempted to conceal his activities from the USDA. He repeatedly falsified his annual “Confidential Financial Disclosure Report” – the OGE Form 450 – to obscure his connection to Highbury and any potential conflicts of interest. This deliberate deception was an attempt to evade scrutiny and continue the scheme undetected. The FBI’s Washington Field Office led the investigation, with crucial assistance from the WMATA and D.C. Offices of the Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Visser of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section is prosecuting the case. This conviction sends a clear message: those who exploit public office for personal enrichment will be held accountable. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on any further developments, ensuring the public is aware of the rot that festers within the system.