Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (Booz Allen) has agreed to pay the United States $15,875,000 to resolve allegations that Booz Allen Hamilton Engineering Services LLC (BES), a wholly owned subsidiary of Booz Allen, violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting fraudulent claims to the United States in connection with a General Services Administration (GSA) task order to supply computer military training simulators and systems to Department of Defense (DoD) agencies, including the Air Force. Booz Allen, which is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, provides a range of management, consulting and engineering services to the government. BES was an engineering services firm located in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, with offices in Dayton, Ohio, and other locations.
The settlement announced today resolves allegations that BES, through its former program managers John G. Hancock and Karen K. Paulsen, knowingly engaged in a fraudulent course of conduct with Keith A. Seguin, then a civilian Air Force employee and contracting official, and David J. Bolduc Jr., the co-owner and manager of a BES subcontractor, QuantaDyn Corporation, that resulted in GSA awarding BES a task order for training simulators. BES, in turn, awarded task orders (or “modules”) to QuantaDyn. The government alleges that Seguin improperly and illegally divulged confidential government contracting and budget information, a competitor’s confidential bid or proposal information and source selection information to Hancock and Paulsen, who used the illicit information despite knowing they were not authorized to possess it. Through this conduct, Hancock and Paulsen successfully influenced GSA to award the task order to BES.
Additionally, the government alleges that, after the GSA award, Hancock, Paulsen, Seguin and Bolduc made use of confidential government budget information to formulate and submit price quotes to GSA for the individual modules that BES awarded to QuantaDyn on a sole-source basis. As a result of the conduct described above, BES, through Hancock and Paulsen, knowingly submitted fraudulent claims to GSA under the 37 modules awarded to QuantaDyn, which GSA paid. Hancock, Paulsen, Seguin and Bolduc previously resolved criminal charges related to this conduct.
“Government contractors that improperly receive confidential government information during the procurement process corrupt the integrity of that process,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement demonstrates our continuing commitment to protecting the integrity of the government’s procurement process.”
“Over the past several years, my office has used every tool at its disposal — from civil settlements to criminal prosecution to asset forfeiture — to hold accountable the companies and individuals that helped a corrupt federal employee at Randolph Air Force Base defraud the United States by steering training simulator contracts,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “I am grateful for the assistance of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division and our law enforcement partners in finally closing the book on this fraud scheme with the civil settlement announced today.”
“This case demonstrates the unwavering dedication of the DoD Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), along with our law enforcement partners, to aggressively pursue those who undermine the integrity of the DoD contracting process,” said the Honorable Robert P. Storch, Inspector General of the Department of Defense. “This settlement announcement highlights the steadfast commitment of DCIS and our investigative partners to holding accountable those who seek to enrich themselves by jeopardizing the welfare of America’s warfighter and defrauding American taxpayers.”
“The GSA Office of Inspector General will continue working with law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer dollars and the integrity of federal contracting,” said GSA Deputy Inspector General Robert C. Erickson.
The civil resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, with assistance from the GSA Office of Inspector General (OIG); DCIS; and the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), Headquarters, Operations Investigative Support Division (OIS).
Attorneys Seth W. Greene and Art J. Coulter of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Parnham Jr. for the Western District of Texas handled the matter, with assistance from GSA OIG Special Agent Gregory A. Fallecker.
In September 2020, the United States entered into a civil settlement agreement with QuantaDyn and William T. Dunn Jr., the majority owner, president and CEO of QuantaDyn.
The claims resolved by the United States are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.