Bollinger Shipyards has agreed to pay $1m to resolve allegations that it billed the US Coast Guard for labour done by workers who weren’t eligible to work in the US
LOUISIANA-based shipbuilder Bollinger Shipyards has agreed to pay over $1m to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act, the US Department of Justice announced on Wednesday.
There has been no determination of liability, and the claims resolved by the settlement are merely allegations, the DOJ noted.
The alleged violations took place between 2015-2020 when Bollinger was building fast-response cutters for the US Coast Guard.
The DOJ alleged that Bollinger knowingly billed the coast guard for labour “provided by workers who were not eligible to work in the US,” which was prohibited under the shipyard’s contract with the coast guard.
“Specifically, the US alleged that Bollinger was contractually required to confirm that its employees were eligible to work in the US,” the DOJ said.
“The US further alleges that Bollinger failed to comply with this requirement and, as a result, several ineligible employees worked on the contract.
“Further, the US alleged that Bollinger billed the coast guard for the labour provided by the ineligible employees and received payment for those bills.”
Bollinger has been approached for comment.
The Lockport, Louisiana-headquartered company operates 11 shipyards throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. It builds vessels...
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