Archive

September 28, 2017

Vermont-based contractor J.A. McDonald, Inc., and its owner and president Eric Boyden, agreed to pay $270,000 to resolve allegations that JAM violated the False Claims Act by causing the State of Vermont to present false claims for payment to the United States in connection with the federally-funded construction of a two-span bridge on Vermont Route 116 in Bristol, Vermont.  Specifically, the settlement resolves allegations that JAM employees intentionally altered critical bridge components such that the bridge no longer conformed to specified safety standards, and that JAM employees took affirmative steps to conceal the alterations from the Vermont Agency of Transportation. DOJ (DVT)

September 18, 2017

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services agreed to pay roughly $2.5 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act in its administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as the Food Stamp Program.  According to the government, ADHSS contracted with Julie Osnes Consulting LLC to provide advice and recommendations designed to lower its SNAP quality control error rate and the company’s recommendations, as implemented by ADHSS, injected bias into ADHSS’s quality control process and resulted in ADHSS submitting inaccurate quality control data and information to USDA and receiving performance bonuses that it should not have received. DOJ

September 13, 2017

Virginia-based contractor Pacific Architects and Engineers, LLC agreed to pay $5 million to settle charges of violating the False Claims Act by failing to follow vetting requirements for personnel working in Afghanistan under a State Department contract for labor services.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by former PAE manager Robert J. Palombo.  Mr. Palombo will receive a whistleblower award of $875,000 from the proceeds of the government's recovery. DOJ (DDC)

September 13, 2017

Virginia-based government contractor Calnet, Inc. and its CEO Kaleem Shah agreed to pay $300,000 to settle charges they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false information in Calnet’s bid proposal to the Federal Aviation Administration to win an FAA contract for IT help desk services.  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 proceeds of the government's recovery. DOJ (EDVA)

August 15, 2017

Virginia-based Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. agreed to pay $9.2 million to settle charges it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly overbilling the government for labor on U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships at its shipyards in Pascagoula, Mississippi.  According to the government, the company mischarged labor incurred on particular contracts to other contracts, even though the costs were not actually incurred by those contracts.  The government also claimed the company billed the Navy and Coast Guard for dive operations to support ship hull construction that did not actually occur.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by former Huntington Ingalls employee Bryon Faulkner.  He will receive a whistleblower award of roughly $1.6 million. DOJ

August 14, 2017

Maryland-based Midasco, LLC agreed to pay $450,000 to settle charges it violated the False Claims Act failing to comply with the Davis-Bacon Act for not paying workers who performed electrical work on the Virginia I-495 HOV/HOT Lanes Project the prevailing wage required by federal labor standards.  The government alleged Midasco instead improperly classified workers as supervisors and paid them a salary in order to avoid paying the higher wages they were entitled to as electricians.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by David Ridley.  He will receive a yet-to-be-determined whistleblower award from the proceeds of the government's recovery.  DOJ (EDVA)

August 11, 2017

West Palm Beach-based government contractor Academy Medical, LLC and its owners, Edward D. Desser and Daniel M. Shaw, agreed to pay $335,000 to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act by improperly usurping federal contracting opportunities reserved for certified service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  The whistleblower will receive an award of $67,000 from the proceeds of the government's recovery.  DOJ (NDNY)

August 10, 2017

Virginia Beach-based contractor ADS Inc. and its subsidiaries agreed to pay $16 million to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by conspiring with and causing purported small businesses to submit false claims for payment in connection with fraudulently obtained small business contracts.  The settlement further resolves allegations that ADS engaged in improper bid rigging relating to certain of the fraudulently obtained contracts.  The settlement ranks as one of the largest recoveries involving alleged fraud in connection with small business contracting eligibility.  The purported small businesses affiliated with ADS include Mythics Inc., London Bridge Trading Co. Ltd., and MJL Enterprises LLC, which falsely claimed to be an eligible service-disabled veteran-owned company, and SEK Solutions LLC and Karda Systems LLC, both of which falsely claimed to qualify as socially or economically disadvantaged businesses under the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by Ameliorate Partners LLP.  It will receive a whistleblower award of roughly $2.9 million.  DOJ

October 4, 2017

Illinois announced a $1 million settlement with A. Lamp Concrete Contractors Inc. (A. Lamp), a construction company based in suburban Schaumburg, for failing to comply with the state’s Prevailing Wage Act. A. Lamp’s state contracts required it to pay workers on public works projects prevailing wages and provide the state with certified payroll records to demonstrate the wages were paid. Madigan alleged that between 2008 and 2014, A. Lamp submitted false payroll records that underreported the number of hours worked by certain workers to create the appearance the company was paying higher wage rates than it was. IL

June 13, 2017

Egyptian-based construction company Misr Sons Development S.A.E. agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle allegations it submitted false claims in connection with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contracts. Specifically, the settlement concerns USAID-funded contracts for the construction of water and wastewater infrastructure projects in the Arab Republic of Egypt in the 1990s. DOJ