GE Aerospace will have to pay $9,413,024 for violating the False Claims Act. The company’s Lynn, Massachusetts manufacturing plant allegedly sold parts to the United States Army and Navy that were either not properly inspected or were nonconforming. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, aircraft engines manufactured by GE Aerospace must meet the requirements established by engineering drawings. To accomplish this, employees at the Lynn facility must follow manufacturing planning instructions, including parts inspections. Unfortunately, required inspections were not conducted at times from July 24, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2019, meaning that engines were sold with parts that did not meet specifications.
In a recent quote, Patrick J. Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office, said, “The Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General, is fully committed to protecting the DoD procurement process. Failing to inspect parts as required by contract specifications compromises military systems and potentially endangers the lives of U.S. service members. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice to investigate DoD contractors that submit false claims to DoD agencies and threaten the DoD supply chain.”