WASHINGTON D.C.
The Justice Department announced last week that Northern Air Cargo LLC, agreed to pay $4.7 million to resolve its potential liability under the False Claims Act for falsely reporting information regarding the delivery of United States mail, officials allege.
Northern Air Cargo is a cargo airline headquartered in Anchorage, AK.
“Government contractors must abide by their contractual commitments to the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “Those who knowingly misrepresent compliance with their contractual obligations will face appropriate consequences.”
USPS contracted with Northern Air Cargo to take possession of receptacles of United States mail at six locations in the United States or at various Department of Defense and Department of State locations abroad, and then deliver that mail to numerous international and domestic destinations.
To obtain payment under the contracts, Northern Air Cargo was required to submit electronic scans of the mail receptacles to USPS that confirmed the time and delivery of the mail at the specified destinations.
The contracts specified penalties for mail that was delivered late or to the wrong location.
Last week’s settlement resolves allegations that Northern Air Cargo submitted scans that falsely reported the time that possession of the mail was transferred, according to officials.
The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
“The safeguarding and timely delivery of the U.S. Mail to both international and domestic venues is of critical importance to the U.S. Postal Service,” said Special Agent in Charge Scott Pierce, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.