Fluor Hanford (“Fluor”), a company contracted by the U.S. Department of Energy to train federal emergency management personnel, will pay $1.1 million to resolve claims that it defrauded the government by using appropriated money to lobby the federal government for yet more funding in violation of the False Claims Act.…
A subsidiary of Alcatel-Lucent, Lucent Technologies World Services Inc. (“LTWSI”), has agreed to a $4.2 million settlement to resolve all allegations brought in a False Claims Act (“FCA”) suit against the company. Alcatel Lucent is a French global telecommunications equipment corporation, and LTWSI contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense…
The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered T-Mobile USA, the Washington-based cellphone company, to pay more than $345,000 to a whistleblower who raised concerns that international business customers were being fraudulently charged for roaming outside of the network. Although the Labor Department has not specified the exact amount by which…
In a decision released on August 6, 2012 in the case of United States of America v. BNP Paribas SA; BNP Paribas AMERICA; BNP Paribas Houston Agency; and Jovenal Miranda Cruz, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division allowed the government’s lawsuit alleging banking fraud under the False…
An imbroglio involving an alleged kickback scheme perpetrated by employees of a San Francisco-based garbage collection company has shone a spotlight on the perils faced by individuals who go public with information concerning potential fraud committed against the government, and the importance of robust protections at all levels of government…
A federal appeals court in Boston, Massachusetts issued a decision on Monday, reversing a federal district court’s earlier decision in a False Claims Act case filed by a whistleblower against Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and two doctors heading the process of researching and preparing an application to the National Institutes…
Harbert Corporation and its affiliated entities reached an agreement with the United States Department of Justice to settle long-standing False Claims Act allegations. According to the settlement, the international construction company had conspired to rig the bidding process for government contracts in order to maximize private profits at the expense of…
With a 215 to 144 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, with only minor changes to the Senate’s version of the bill. With President Obama expected to sign off, the Act will soon become law. The chief purpose of the Act is to vest…
Delaware recently withdrew its intervention in a False Claims Act case filed against J-M Manufacturing. Whistleblower John Hendrix, a former engineer for J-M Manufacturing in New Jersey, filed the suit against the manufacturer in 2006. Virginia, Tennessee, and Nevada remain in the suit, as well as 47 municipalities and water…
Dominion Oklahoma Texas Exploration and Production, Inc. (Dominion) and Marathon Oil have agreed to pay $2.2 and $4.6 million to the federal government to resolve allegations that the companies underpaid royalties on leases with the federal government and Native American Tribes. Many oil companies drill for oil on lands owned…