Fluor to Pay $1.1M to Settle Lobbying Claims; Whistleblower to Get $200K

Fluor Corp. has agreed to pay a $1.1 million settlement to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act when it allegedly used federal money to pay lobbyists, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today.

Fluor Hanford operated the Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response (HAMMER) training center for the Department of Energy from 2005 to 2009.  In 2005, HAMMER allegedly used federal money to hire two firms to lobby members of Congress and federal agencies for more money.  According to the terms of Fluor’s contract with the Department of Energy, federal money was intended for training first responders and law enforcement personnel to respond to crisis situations, not to lobby Congress for more funding.

Loydene Rambo, a former contracting official for HAMMER, filed the initial lawsuit against Fluor under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act.  The qui tam provisions allow a private citizen with knowledge of fraud to sue on behalf of the government and share in the recovery.  Rambo will receive $200,000 as her share of the settlement with Fluor.

Fluor released a statement on April 1st in which they denied any wrongdoing.

The Chanler Group, in association with the Hirst Law Group, represents whistleblowers who take action under the False Claims Act to report fraud committed against the federal and state governments.  We have years of experience representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.