ThunderCat Technology, LLC, located in Virginia, has agreed to pay $1 million to settle civil False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Act, and Procurement Integrity Act claims relating to bid rigging and kickback schemes in connection with six government procurements.
The settlement resolves civil claims against ThunderCat relating to the criminal pleas entered by ThunderCat principal, co-owner, and general manager, Edwin Keith McMeans, and ThunderCat sales representative, Anthony Bilby.
Background
From September 2008 to February 2012, ThunderCat solicited or submitted inflated third party bids or “loser bids” during competitions for five government contracts and/or purchase orders awarded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on behalf of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and one government contract awarded by the General Services Administration (GSA).
In connection with one CBP contract, ThunderCat agreed to pay CPB employees 10 percent of ThunderCat’s profits on the contract in exchange for procurement sensitive independent government cost estimates prior to ThunderCat’s submission of its proposal.
The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil and Criminal Divisions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the Offices of Inspector General for DHS and GSA.
Settlement Is Result of Allegations
It should be noted that the civil claims settled by this False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Act, and Procurement Integrity Act agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Criminal Case No. 1:15-cr-264 (Edwin Keith McMeans) and No. 1:13-cr-466 (Anthony Bilby).
