May 2, 2018

New Jersey construction company Ranco Construction agreed to pay $1.5 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by contracting for public construction jobs despite paying its workers a lower hourly wage than required under state and federal law. Specifically, the government claimed that Ranco routinely entered into construction contracts with various state and federal entities and falsely certified to the government that its employees were paid hourly wage rates set under federal and New Jersey prevailing wage laws. The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed former Ranco employee Robert Kleinow under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. He will receive of a whistleblower award of more than $150,000 from the proceeds of the government’s recovery. DOJ (NJ)

Tagged in: FCA Federal, Government Procurement Fraud, Prevailing Wage, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,