G4S Affiliates Pay $500,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — A joint venture comprised of companies affiliated with G4S Secure Integration, LLC, has agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve allegations that the companies violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting to the U.S. State Department false claims for payment related to training of local guard forces at the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava, Slovakia. The companies comprising the joint venture are G4S Secure Integration, LLC; G4S Secure Solutions International Inc.; and G4S Technology Solutions (SK) (hereafter referred to individually or collectively as “G4S”).

In 2016, G4S Secure Integration, LLC, was awarded a contract by the State Department to provide local guard forces at the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava, Slovakia, in order to provide additional security to the Embassy. The contract required G4S to provide 80 hours of basic training to each guard, and prohibited the services of any guard who had not completed the required training. The United States alleged that G4S failed to provide all 80 hours of basic training to certain guards during the period from January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2019, and failed to accurately document the performance of training.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will hold accountable those who submit claims for payment to the United States for services not provided,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina Adair F. Boroughs. “We are thankful for the great work of the agents with the State Department’s Office of Inspector General. Their work helps ensure the safety of the men and women serving in U.S. embassies around the world.”

“This resolution demonstrates the U.S. State Department’s Office of Inspector General’s resolve to hold contractors accountable for failing to give the U.S. government the services it’s paid for, especially when those services involve the security of our embassies worldwide,” said Elisabeth Kaminsky, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of State OIG, Office of Investigations.

The case was investigated by the State Department’s Office of Inspector General and their Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) colleagues, along with Assistant United States Attorneys Stan Ragsdale and Johanna Valenzuela of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

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