A moving company will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for over billing the federal government \u00a0to transport its employees relocating to duty stations within the United States, officials announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n
RE\/MAX Allegiance Relocation Services, a Virginia-based move management company<\/span>, has agreed to pay the government $509,807 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by over billing for transportation services, the Department of Justice stated.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s settlement demonstrates our continuing vigilance to ensure that those doing business with the government do so legally and honestly and that taxpayer funds are not misused,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Stuart F. Delery. \u201cGovernment contractors who seek to profit at the expense of taxpayers will be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n The whistleblower whose lawsuit pointed to the over charges will get $86,667 for his involvement, authorities said.<\/p>\n The settlement resolves allegations filed in a lawsuit by Michael Angel, a former employee of RE\/MAX Allegiance, \u00a0in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.<\/p>\n The lawsuit was filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private individuals to sue on behalf of the government for false claims and to share in any recovery, authorities said.<\/p>\n The act also allows the government to intervene and take over the action, as it did in this case., officials said.<\/p>\n Officials said Angel will receive $86,667.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The settlement relates to allegations involving contracts to transport personal property of federal employees relocating duty stations within the United States and between the United States and Canada. The government alleged that the defendant charged for move management services that were not provided and overbilled agencies on other moves by charging inapplicable tariff rates.<\/p>\n \u201cWe encourage whistleblowers to provide us with useful information to help us combat all manners of fraud on the U.S. Government,\u201d said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dana J. Boente.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to investigate allegations of federal contractors fraudulently maximizing their profits at the expense of American taxpayers,\u201d said U.S. General Services Administration Acting Inspector General Robert C. Erickson.<\/p>\n The settlement resolves allegations filed in a lawsuit by Michael Angel, a former employee of RE\/MAX Allegiance Relocation Services, in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. The lawsuit was filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private individuals to sue on behalf of the government for false claims and to share in any recovery. The act also allows the government to intervene and take over the action, as it did in this case. Angel will receive $86,667.<\/p>\n The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and NASA Office of Inspector General.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A moving company will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for over billing the federal government \u00a0to transport its employees relocating to duty stations within the United States, officials announced Tuesday. RE\/MAX…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,16],"tags":[644,642,643],"class_list":["post-4512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-courts","category-home-main-slider","tag-federal-employees","tag-remax-allegiance-relocation-services","tag-transport"],"yoast_head":"\n