“A California man pleaded guilty Tuesday for his role in a scheme to defraud the government of Afghanistan of over $100 million. These funds were provided to Afghanistan by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for the purpose of constructing an electric grid in Afghanistan, in connection with the long-standing US effort to strengthen that country’s basic infrastructure,” the press release said.
Amiri claimed that his company Assist Consultants Incorporated (ACI), had previously constructed power stations in Uganda and Nigeria in order to meet the prerequisites to bid on the contract. The money for the project was given to the Afghan government by the USAID, the release said.
New from @TheJusticeDept: California man pleads guilty in scheme to defraud Afghan govt of $100+ million: pic.twitter.com/qJFdKldMVn
— Carla Marinucci (@cmarinucci) April 28, 2021
In an attempt to secure the contract for the AGI, Amiri sent false documents and made false statements to officials, the release added.
Amiri could face up to 20 years in prison for the scheme depending on the federal judge’s consideration of sentencing guidelines, according to the release.
