Military housing provider to resolve false claims allegations

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Hunt Companies, Inc. will pay $ 500,000 to settle allegations that it engaged in fraudulent activity at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware in violation of the False Claims Act. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by a whistleblower under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.

According to the press release from the US Department of Justice, Hunt is “one of the largest providers of privatized military housing to the US military” and provides these services at Dover Air Base. “For his services, Hunt is eligible to receive a quarterly performance incentive fee if he meets certain performance goals” – these goals could include “maintaining residences while they are occupied and preparing residences for new ones. tenants once they are vacated ”.

The press release states that between January 2013 and June 2019, Hunt allegedly “submitted materially false information to the Air Force in order to receive higher performance bonuses from the Air Force. [g]government. The DOJ notes that “the settlement agreement resolves these allegations; there was no admission of fault.

The whistleblower qui tam lawsuit was filed by a former Hunt employee, although the press release does not provide the name of the whistleblower. Thanks to the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, whistleblowers can sue on behalf of the federal government if they become aware of a company or individual that has defrauded the government. Qui tam whistleblowers are entitled to 15-30% of settlement funds.

“The Delaware District Attorney’s Office is committed to fighting for the well-being of our military personnel and their families, especially those stationed at Dover Air Force Base,” said US Attorney David C. Weiss . “When corporations jeopardize the well-being of the military to maximize their profits, they are deceiving the government and all those who serve our country. We will not tolerate such disappointing conduct.

At the end of 2021, WNN compiled an overview of the remarkable cases and settlements of the False Claims Act that involved qui tam lawsuits throughout the year: check out the article here.

Read the DOJ press release here.

Read more information about the Qui tam / False Claims Act on WNN.

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