CLEARLAKE OAKS >> In a case of bureaucratic phone tag and just plain mixed messages, the Clearlake Oaks Water District was required to repay substantial disaster relief funds it received from federal and state agencies recently.
The district was required to refund the Federal Emergency Management nearly $1.6 million in a notification mailed to the District by FEMA on Sept. 28. FEMA alleged the District failed to repay federal and state grant funds it received, but was not entitled to keep.
The United States alleges that following the District’s application for disaster relief funds, the District received reimbursements from FEMA and Cal Office of Emergency Services for expenses for which the District had already been reimbursed by its insurer California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (CJPIA), and was notified by mail, according to Nicholas Parker, assistant United States Attorney of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California.
The U. S. alleges further that the district knew the funds it received from FEMA and Cal OES were an overpayment, but instead of returning funds, retained them in violation of the False Claims Act and state law. The U. S. alleges that the district knowingly concealed the funds and made false statements to the United States and Cal OES, material to its obligation to return the funds. These false statements included quarterly reports in which the District stated that it had not received excess funds and project closeout...
Chartered Group, a global investment company managing and investing billions of dollars across multiple countries, issued a special formal notice today (September 15) that it will take firm legal ...