ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Fraud Alleged in Large Military Procurement Programs
Allegations of Forged Invoices, Inflated Prices, and Misleading Data
A False Claims Act (FCA) whistleblower lawsuit[1] unsealed this week alleges a large truck manufacturer defrauded the US government of at least $1.28 billion by forging invoices, catalog prices and other data in deals to make Mine Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) trucks for the US military. A former employee of the manufacturer’s contract management department filed the complaint after witnessing the allegedly fraudulent conduct firsthand. The California whistleblower attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. represent whistleblowers/relators in FCA cases against product manufacturers, government contractors and service providers, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, and others who may commit fraud against the government by misrepresenting products, overcharging, billing for services or equipment never provided, paying illegal kickbacks, and/or falsifying data in order to receive government payments or grants. If you have credible information for a false claims whistleblower case or any other whistleblower case in California, call us today at (415)441-8669 and we can help.
The manufacturer allegedly sold the US government over $9 billion in MRAP contracts during 2007-2012. for the military. According to the complaint, the company “used false and misleading documents to support alleged ‘commercial prices’ of vehicle components, including the chassis, engines, and suspension systems” of the trucks as part of its allegedly fraudulent scheme. The government has decided to intervene in the case. “The Department of Justice will hold accountable those contractors who falsify information and thereby cause the military to pay inflated prices,” Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Civil Division said in a Wednesday US Department of Justice statement announcing the federal government’s intervention in the case. “We will take steps necessary to protect the military’s procurement process from abuse.” The company has denied any wrongdoing.
Protection for Employee Whistleblowers
If you have information regarding any fraud against the government, Federal and California laws protect you against retaliation from your employer for blowing the whistle on fraud. 31 U.S.C. § 3730(h); Calif. Labor Code §§ 98.6 and 1102.5. If you are fired because you brought any fraud to light, you can fight back. You may be entitled to sue your employer and seek double back pay (with interest), reinstatement, reasonable attorneys’ fees, and reimbursement for certain costs in connection with the litigation. Our California whistleblower attorneys can represent you in any action for retaliation as well as represent you in your underlying whistleblower application.
Contact Us
Our whistleblower attorneys handle all types of whistleblower cases in addition to false claims cases, including cases for bank fraud under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA/FIAFEA), commodity trading and securities fraud under the Commodities Futures Trading Commission Whistleblower Program and the Securities and Exchange Commission Whistleblower Program, and tax fraud under the Internal Revenue Service Whistleblower Program. If you or a loved one has information regarding false claims, offshore tax avoidance schemes against the IRS, bank fraud under FIRREA/FIAFEA, or securities and commodity trading fraud in violation of SEC and CFTC regulations, contact Ingrid M. Evans and the other California whistleblower and false claims attorneys at Evans Law Firm at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. Our attorneys have experience with complex financial contracts and large insurance companies. We can help guide your case through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We also handle cases involving physical and financial elder abuse, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. is not involved in the case in any way.
