Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment on Wednesday charging two men with stealing American-funded medical supplies from Kenya and reselling them for profit. Davendra Rampersaud, a 42-year-old Guyanese citizen, and Eric Ndungu Mwangi, a 40-year-old Kenyan national, allegedly conspired to divert HIV test kits and other health commodities from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority. Investigators say Rampersaud purchased the stolen items through his company, Caribbean Medical Supplies, and resold them to the government of Guyana.
The scheme involved approximately $650 million in USAID-funded supplies meant for Kenyan patients between 2015 and 2019. Rampersaud paid Mwangi more than $177,000 for diverted medical equipment before marking up prices for Guyanese officials. Authorities arrested Mwangi in Kenya on February 2021, and he awaits trial there. Rampersaud pleaded guilty after his January 2023 arrest in Miami and received a sentence of time served, three years of supervised release, and an $84,000 fine.
The scheme involved approximately $650 million in USAID-funded supplies meant for Kenyan patients between 2015 and 2019. Rampersaud paid Mwangi more than $177,000 for diverted medical equipment before marking up prices for Guyanese officials. Authorities arrested Mwangi in Kenya on February 2021, and he awaits trial there. Rampersaud pleaded guilty after his January 2023 arrest in Miami and received a sentence of time served, three years of supervised release, and an $84,000 fine.
