Two German moving companies — ITO Möbel Transport GmbH and Birkart Globistics GmbH & Co — settled FCA qui tam allegations, according to a DoJ press release issued today. The companies allegedly rigged bids in conspiracy with American freight forwarding firms for DoD contracts to transport military and civilian goods in Germany, says DoJ:
The American freight forwarding companies then submitted bids to the DOD at specific elevated price levels according to the instructions of the conspirators and were subsequently awarded transportation contracts based on their non-competitive bids. As a result of the conspiracy, the DOD overpaid for transportation contracts.
The German companies also agreed to cooperate against the remaining defendants, which include Gosselin Worldwide Moving N.V., Marc Smet, Andreas Christ Spedition & Möbeltransport GmbH, and Viktoria Schäfer entities.
To report bid-rigging fraud or other government fraud and abuse, contact Frohsin & Barger.
[…] than a year, DoJ has pursued antitrust false claims act cases involving EPA Superfund contracts, freight forwarding contracts, and ice contracts. Whistleblowers who report bid-rigging schemes involving government contracts […]