Whistleblower to get $1.8M as part of settlement
Whistleblower to get $1.8M in settlement with defense contractor accused of overbilling
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Federal prosecutors say a whistleblower who sparked a civil claim against a global defense contractor for allegedly overbilling the government for homeland security training programs will get more than $1.8 million as part of his share of the settlement.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Albuquerque made the announcement Tuesday, nearly two weeks after the $11.75 million settlement with Science Applications International Corp. was first made public.
The lawsuit was originally filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Richard Priem. He was the company's former project manager for the first responder training program.
Priem had said high-level executives were aware of the billing issues and often fretted about getting caught.
Since the government joined the lawsuit, Priem's lawyers said he was entitled to a portion of the settlement.
