WATCH THIS SPACE: DOJ and DOE Call Out Lockheed Martin for Self-Dealing at Hanford Plutonium Site

The nation’s largest toxic cleanup site has suffered another setback, this time not in the cleanup itself but in alleged self-dealing, corruption, kickbacks, and lies, costing taxpayers over $60M, according to a complaint filed by DOJ against Mission Support Alliance, Lockheed Martin Services (and a subsidiary), and Jorge Francisco Armijo. The Hanford Nuclear Site in central Washington state made plutonium for decades resulting in over 150 underground tanks of radioactive...

2015 Whistleblower of the Year Candidate -- Hanford Whistleblower Dr. Walter Tamosaitis

By Marlene Koury This "Whistleblower Spotlight" features Hanford whistleblower Dr. Walter Tamosaitis, one of our candidates for 2015 Whistleblower of the Year.  Dr. Tamosaitis blew the whistle on shaky clean up plans at Hanford nuclear site in Washington.  He was designing a way to immobilize millions of gallons of toxic and radioactive liquid waste when he discovered the Energy Department’s plans to treat the waste were extremely unsafe.  He discovered...

Whistleblower Spotlight -- Hanford Whistleblower Dr. Walter Tamosaitis

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team This week's Whistleblower Spotlight features Hanford whistleblower Dr. Walter Tamosaitis, who blew the whistle on shaky clean up plans at Hanford nuclear site in Washington.  Dr. Tamosaitis was designing a way to immobilize millions of gallons of toxic and radioactive liquid waste when he discovered the Energy Department’s plans to treat the waste were extremely unsafe.  He discovered that plans to mix the toxic...

Whistleblower Spotlight -- Hanford Whistleblower Shelly Doss

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team This week's "Whistleblower Spotlight" shines on Shelly Doss, a former environmental compliance specialist with Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS), an environmental cleanup contractor for the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.  Located in central Washington, Hanford made plutonium for nuclear weapons for decades and now is the country's largest environmental cleanup site with more than 150 underground tanks containing highly radioactive sludge.  In October 2011, WRPS fired Ms....

February 8, 2019

In connection with alleged fraud on a multi-billion dollar Department of Energy contract, the United States has filed a False Claims Act complaint against Mission Support Alliance LLC (MSA), Lockheed Martin Services Inc. (LMSI), Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMC) and Jorge Francisco Armijo, currently VP of LMC but formerly president of MSA. The complaint alleges that defendant LMSI violated the FCA by submitting false statements about its profits to order to...

Top Ten Environmental Fraud Settlements for 2018

Our environment, natural resources, energy resources, and wildlife are subject to numerous laws and government programs that can give rise to fraudulent activity. Here is our look-back at the top 10 environmental fraud recoveries for 2018. Our 2016 and 2017 lists are also available on the Whistleblower Insider blog. International Automated Systems and RaPower-3 – In October 2018, a federal court in Utah ordered RaPower-3 LLC and International Automated Systems, Inc. to...

June 7, 2018

A prime contractor joint venture between AECOM, Bechtel, and CH2M Hill, Washington Closure Hanford, LLC, performing environmental clean-up at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site, has agreed to pay $3.2 million to settle a case first brought by whistleblowers under the False Claims Act.  The case alleged that defendant awarded subcontracts reserved for small disadvantaged business to a company that purported to be eligible for such contracts but was in...

October 10, 2017

Sage Tee LLC, a subcontractor at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site, and its owner Laura Shikashio, agreed to pay $235,000 to settle charges they violated the False Claims Act in connection with improperly receiving two small business subcontracts at DOE's Hanford nuclear site.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  The whistleblower will receive an award from the...

Whistleblower News From The Inside -- June 22, 2017

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team Govt. whistleblower: Refusing to participate in theft cover-up led to ouster – Aleta Busselman said she was ousted from management at the Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) near Hanford, Washington after failing to go along with lab superiors who wanted her to cover up a mistake that cost the federal government more than a half million dollars. K5 News Washington Iowa DME store owner...

January 23, 2017

Washington River Protection Solutions LLC agreed to pay $5.275 million to settle allegations it knowingly submitted false claims to the Department of Energy for overtime and premium pay and also failed to comply with the contract’s internal audit requirements in connection with work performed at DOE's Hanford Nuclear Site known as the Tank Farms.  DOJ