Maersk Line, Limited, (Maersk) paid the United States of America eight million seven hundred thousand dollars ($8,700,000.00) as the result of a civil settlement regarding Maersk’s failure to fully comply with certain terms of its contract with the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.
“One can clearly see that in contracts of this magnitude, even a small percentage of fraud amounts to significant loss of funds. By this and other ongoing investigations, I am putting these world-wide contractors on notice that my office will not tolerate any fraudulent, false or unwarranted billings to the United States and its client agencies,” noted United States Attorney Wigginton.
DCIS Special Agent in Charge Brian Reihms said “The Defense Criminal Investigative Service is dedicated to working with investigative partners to resolve fraudulent activity impacting the Department’s supply chain and ensuring the integrity of the procurement system.”
Under Maersk’s contract with USTRANSCOM, the Department of Defense used Maersk services to ship cargo from the United States to military outposts in Afghanistan. Maersk moved cargo by sea to an appropriate port, then by trucks over land, often travelling in remote areas where enemy combatants and criminal entities were active in delivering shipments.