HOPKINSVILLE, KY – Ascend Elements has agreed to pay just under $7.5 million to resolve a civil allegation that the company submitted inflated reimbursement claims to the U.S. Department of Energy for their work on the Apex 1 plant in Hopkinsville.
The announcement was made on June 30 by U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky. According to a news release, the settlement resolves the United States’ contention that, between September 18, 2023 and February 18, 2025, Ascend sought and received DOE reimbursement for goods and services that included inflated labor hours, excessive tool purchases, unnecessary equipment rentals, and other wasteful or unnecessary expenses related to its industrial-scale battery precursor production project.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Kentucky says Ascend voluntarily divulged the issues to the government and received credit for its cooperation, which included a timely self-disclosure, an internal investigation, and assisting the United States in understanding the full scope of the conduct.
Assistant United States Attorney Jessica R. C. Malloy handled this matter for the United States, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy. It was iterated that the claims resolved by this settlement are still only allegations, and there has been no determination of liability, according to the attorney’s office.
The one million square...
HOPKINSVILLE, KY – Ascend Elements has agreed to pay just under $7.5 million to resolve a civil allegation that the company submitted inflated reimbursement claims to the U.S. Department of Energy...