California Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Defraud Afghan Government

Granite Bay, California, resident Saed Ismail Amiri pleaded guilty to a scheme to defraud the Afghan government of over $100 million relating to a contract to build an electric grid in the country, the Department of Justice said in an April 28 news release. The U.S. Agency for International Development provided money for the grid via a U.S.-funded contract to create five electric power substations connecting Afghanistan's Northeastern and Southeastern grid systems in 2015 and 2016. During that time, Amiri owned or was the senior consultant for Afghan company Assist Consultants Inc. and engaged in a scheme to obtain the $100 million contract by submitting a false work history and fraudulent supporting documents. Using the documents, Amiri deceived the Afghan government into believing ACI met project requirements. Amiri subsequently lied to U.S. law enforcement at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan.