February 11, 2022

Transportation company Academy Bus, LLC, together with related entities and individuals, will pay $20.5 million to resolve claims brought in a whistleblower lawsuit under New Jersey’s False Claims Act that the defendants defrauded New Jersey Transit, for whom defendants operated bus routes.  Defendants were paid by NJ Transit based, in part, on miles and hours driven, with deductions for missed bus trips; they were alleged to have over-reported miles and hours driven, and underreported their missed bus trips to the state.  The settlement also required Academy to implement specific compliance procedures.  The whistleblower, former Academy employee Hector Peralta, will receive an award totaling $3.9 million.  NJ

Tagged in: Certifications, Contract Non-Compliance, FCA State, Government Procurement Fraud, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,