Former USAID Employee Sentenced for CARES Act Fraud

Greenbelt, Maryland – A former U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employee received a federal-prison term for a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act scheme that enabled him to illegally obtain more than $176,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.

U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Simeon Bakare, 56, of Waldorf, Maryland, to six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, including two months of home detention, for a wire-fraud charge in connection with the scheme. Judge Chuang also ordered Bakare to forfeit $176,000 and to pay $176,000 in restitution. This prosecution is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Acting Special Agent in Charge Eduardo Santos, USAID Office of Inspector General (USAID OIG). USAID OIG is a statutorily independent law enforcement agency that has continued jurisdiction to investigate criminal activity affecting ongoing U.S. foreign assistance programs.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act — a federal law enacted in March 2020 — provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It gives financial assistance including forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and other expenses. Established by the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) — administered through the Small Business Administration (SBA) — along with the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), helped businesses meet their financial obligations.

On June 3, 2026, Bakare pled guilty to wire fraud in connection with the CARES Act scheme. According to his guilty plea, beginning in April 2020, and continuing until November 2021, Bakare knowingly and willfully engaged in a scheme to defraud the SBA. Bakare admitted he submitted, or caused the submission of, multiple fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications. Additionally, through this scheme, Bakare caused the deposits of PPP and EIDL benefits into bank accounts he controlled.

In furthering the fraud scheme, Bakare used fabricated documents in support of his fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications. Bakare submitted five false loan applications to obtain PPP and EIDL benefits, along with loan forgiveness, including fraudulent IRS Schedule C Forms and false attestations regarding the existence of sole proprietorships. 

None of the businesses Bakare listed on the applications had significant employees, office space, revenues, costs of goods sold, or business operations. Bakare admitted he knowingly used the PPP and EIDL proceeds for improper personal purposes, such as car and housing payments, along with grocery costs. 

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

For more information about the Department’s response to the pandemic, visit justice.gov/archives/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at justice.gov/archives/disaster-fraud.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended USAID OIG for its work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Wenner and Tanya Kapoor who prosecuted the federal case. 

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.

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