Falsifying Invoices

October 16, 2017

Virginia-based defense contractor Triple Canopy, Inc. agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle charges it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims for payment to the Department of Defense for unqualified security guards stationed in Iraq.  Specifically, the government alleged that Triple Canopy knowingly billed the government for security guards who could not pass contractually required firearms proficiency tests and that Triple Canopy concealed the guards’ inability to satisfy the firearms testing requirements by creating false test scorecards that Triple Canopy was required to maintain for government review.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by a former Triple Canopy employee.  The whistleblower will receive an award of roughly $500,000 from the proceeds of the government's recovery.  DOJ (EDVA)

October 11, 2017

URS Corporation agreed to pay $900,000 to settle charges of violating the False Claims Act by improperly billing under a Joint Venture Project Management Oversight Agreement with Amtrak. DOJ (EDPA)

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

May 26, 2017

Kuwaiti-based Agility Public Warehousing Co. KSC agreed to globally resolve criminal, civil, and administrative cases arising from allegations that it overcharged the United States when performing contracts with the Department of Defense to supply food for U.S. troops from 2003 through 2010.  As part of the settlement, Agility agreed to pay $95 million to resolve civil fraud claims, to forgo administrative claims against the United States seeking $249 million in additional payments under its military food contracts, and to plead guilty to a criminal misdemeanor offense for theft of government funds.  According to the government, Agility overcharged the DOD for locally available fresh fruits and vegetables that Agility purchased through the Sultan Center Food Products Company, K.S.C. (TSC).  Agility charged the full amount of TSC’s invoices despite agreeing with TSC it would pay 10 percent less than the amount billed.  The government further alleged Agility failed to disclose and pass through rebates and discounts it obtained from U.S.-based suppliers. The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed against Agility and TSC under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by Kamal Mustafa Al-Sultan, a former vendor of Agility.  Mr. Al-Sultan will receive a whistleblower award of $38.85 million from the proceeds of the government's recovery. DOJ

March 1, 2017

Florida-based information technology company People, Technology and Processes, LLC and the company's CEO and CFO, Victor Buonamia and Nicole Buonamia, agreed to pay $320,000 to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act by submitting improper invoices for work allegedly performed for the United States in support of the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by former company employee Aidan Tamer Toprakci.  He will receive a whistleblower award of roughly $64,000 from the proceeds of the government's recovery. DOJ (MDFL)

February 28, 2017

CH2M Hill, Inc. agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle charges of violating the False Claims Act by overbilling the government under a Joint Venture Project Management Oversight Agreement with Amtrak. DOJ

February 9, 2017

General Production Service of California, Inc. agreed to pay $300,000 to settle charges of violating the False Claims Act by failing to pay money owed on oil produced from a federal lease.  DOJ (DCO)

February 6, 2017

New Jersey-based Para-Plus Translations, Inc., together with its owners Robert Santiago, III and Sonia Santiago, agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle charges of violating the False Claims Act by submitting invoices to federal and state governmental clients that purposefully overstated the travel time and mileage incurred by its interpreters.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Kimberly Martin under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  She will receive a yet-to-be-determined whistleblower award from the proceeds of the government's recovery.  DOJ (WDPA)

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