Stephen Paul Edmund Sutton, a 53-year-old citizen of the United Kingdom, has been extradited to the United States and sentenced for his involvement in a fraud scheme. This was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Acting Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Sean Bottary.
Sutton pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit theft concerning a program receiving federal funds, which is classified as a felony. He was employed as a Logistics Operations Manager at a contracting firm involved in a USAID-funded power distribution program (PDP) in Pakistan. After resisting extradition for over two years, Sutton was brought to the United States, where District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta sentenced him to time-served and ordered his transfer to immigration authorities.
The PDP was part of U.S. government assistance aimed at supporting Pakistan's energy sector through various improvements in governance and technology within its electric power distribution companies. Under this program, Sutton's employer subcontracted with local vendors in Pakistan.
Between May and November 2015, Sutton and an employee he supervised engaged in a kickback scheme involving the creation of two companies that obtained purchase orders from PDP for forklift and crane services. The profits were distributed between them. The co-conspirator arranged for local vendors to provide services at reduced rates while Sutton ensured payment despite concerns raised by an accounts payable officer. The scheme defrauded the agency of nearly $100,000, with Sutton personally receiving at least $21,000.
Sutton’s co-conspirator faces charges by indictment with their case pending disposition.
The investigation was conducted by the USAID Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily Miller along with former Special Assistant United States Attorneys Scot Morris and Nicholas Coates from the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs played a significant role in securing Sutton's arrest and extradition from the UK.