The Justice Department Monday evening said that L-3 Communications [LLL] has agreed to $4.6 million to settle allegations the company overcharged for labor related to a military support contract.
The Justice Department alleged that two L-3 business units, Vertex Aerospace LLC and Integrated Systems LP, inflated labor hours for time spent by independent contractors at the military’s Continental U.S. Replacement Centers in Fort Benning, Ga., and Fort Bliss, Texas, which prepare individuals for overseas deployment by providing orientation briefings, training, health screenings, payroll processing, and other administrative matters.
There was no determination of liability through the settlement.
“Contractors owe a duty to the taxpayers to accurately bill the United States for the actual work performed,” U.S. Attorney John Horn of the Northern District of Georgia, said in a statement. “This settlement demonstrates our commitment to hold contractors accountable for false billing and restore wrongfully taken funds to the military.”
The allegations against L-3 arose from a whistleblower suit by Robert Martin, a former L-3 independent contractor. Martin received $768,675 from the government’s recovery.