"In yet another disgraceful case of federal corruption, a former United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) official has pleaded guilty to a years-long kickback scheme that bilked taxpayers out of nearly $400,000.
Kirk Perry, 60, of Lorain, Ohio, who once held a position of trust as a USDA Program Director, admitted in court to conspiring with his nephew, Jamarea Grant, 31, to defraud the federal government by submitting fraudulent invoices for work that was never done.
The scam ran unchecked from 2015 through 2022, even as Perry enjoyed the benefits of his federal post, quietly funneling money into his own pockets and betraying the public trust.
According to Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin and Special Agent in Charge Jeldrys Lowry of the USDA’s Office of Inspector General, Perry orchestrated a scheme in which his nephew was placed in a no-show job through USDA contractors, reporting directly to Perry himself. Grant received nearly $400,000 for work he never performed — with Perry signing off on it all.
Even more brazen, Perry had direct access to his nephew’s bank account and siphoned off about $125,000 of the stolen funds into his own pocket."
