Government Procurement Fraud

DOJ Shows Continued Commitment to Use False Claims Act to Target Procurement Fraud

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Lawyer Team Last Wednesday (April 9), the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Virginia-based government contractor DynCorp International agreed to pay $21 million to settle charges it violated the False Claims Act by overbilling the State Department under its longtime contract to train Iraqi “CIVPOL” police forces.  This is just the latest example of DOJ using the...

Military Contractor Pays $15.7M to Settle False Claims Act Charges of Failing to Comply with Required Military Specs

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team On April 1, TE Connectivity Corporation subsidiary DRI Relays agreed to pay $15.7 million to settle Department of Justice (DOJ) charges of violating the False Claims Act by supplying military parts that did not meet military specifications.  DRI makes electrical relays and sockets for various military applications, with manufacturing locations in New York and...

Booz Allen Pays $15.875M to Settle False Claims Act, Procurement Allegations

Booz Allen closed out 2024 by agreeing to pay $15,875,000 to settle allegations that one of its subsidiaries, Booz Allen Hamilton Engineering Services LLC (BES), violated the False Claims Act by engaging misconduct in connection with the government's procurement process. The FCA allegations centered around BES claims for payment related to a “General Service Administration (GSA) task order to supply computer...

Swiss-Based Commodities Trading Company Pays $661 Million for FCPA Violations

Last Friday (March 1), the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Swiss-based international commodities trading company Gunvor S.A. pleaded guilty and agreed to pay roughly $661 million to settle charges of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).  The DOJ's action stemmed from Gunvor's scheme to bribe Ecuadorean officials to secure business with Ecuador’s state-owned oil company Petroecuador. The...

DOJ Releases False Claims Act Results for 2023

The Department of Justice (DOJ) just released its False Claims Act results for 2023.  By all accounts, it was another big year for the government's primary fraud-fighting tool.  The top-line numbers are roughly $2.7 billion in total recoveries from 543 settlements and judgments, the highest number of settlements and judgments in a single year.  This brings the total tally of False Claims Act recoveries to more than...

Top Ten Non-Healthcare False Claims Act Recoveries for 2023

It was another big year for DOJ enforcement under the False Claims Act, the government's primary fraud-fighting tool.  As usual, most of the recoveries were in the healthcare space with seven of the Top Ten recoveries involving various schemes to defraud Medicare and Medicaid.  See our Top Ten FCA and Top Ten Healthcare FCA listings. While healthcare recoveries dominated the Top Ten, two of the top five...

Tactical Gear Company Settles $2.1 Million False Claims Act Allegations

The U.S Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Ohio has announced that London Bridge Trading Company, Ltd. (LBT), a Virginia headquartered manufacturer of tactical gear for military, law enforcement, and other organizations, has agreed to pay nearly $2.1 million to settle False Claims Act allegations.  The case, initiated by qui tam relator Ann Keating, involves accusations that LBT failed to comply with the...

Catch of the Week: The Boeing Company

This week's Department of Justice (DOJ) Catch of the Week goes to the Boeing Company.  Yesterday (September 28), DOJ announced the Virginia-based aircraft maker agreed to pay $8.1 million to settle charges it violated the False Claims Act in connection with its Navy contracts to manufacture the V-22 Osprey military aircraft. According to the government, for more than ten years Boeing violated contractual...

Military Contractors Get Prison Sentence for Bid Rigging Scheme

Two military contractors were recently sentenced to prison time for bid-rigging violations, which the government said involved more than $17 million in government dollars, according to a DOJ press release.  This is the latest in the broader crackdown by the DOJ’s “Procurement Collusion Strike Force,” a joint effort to combat antitrust violations and government fraud. Bid rigging is when two or more...