BOSTON (Legal Newsline) – Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced that B-G Mechanical Contractors Inc. (B-G) will pay $220,000 to resolve allegations of falsely certifying compliance with equal opportunity requirements on two public contracts.
According to Healy’s office, the company violated the state’s consumer protection laws and False Claims Act when it failed to abide by provisions that require it to subcontract a certain percentage of minority/women business enterprises (M/WBEs). The company allegedly falsely claimed full M/WBE credit on two public contracts.
“Equal opportunity requirements in public contracts are a vital tool in ensuring that everyone has a chance to engage in government work,” Healey said. “Our office will do everything it can to protect the integrity of this important program.”
Of the $220,550 paid by B-G to the Commonwealth, $120,000 will go toward multiple damages, $80,500 toward penalties and $20,000 toward costs and fees. B-G agreed to conduct annual training for its employees on how to comply with M/WBE provisions and applicable laws.
Assistant Attorneys General Amy Crafts and Meghan MacKenzie of AG Healey’s False Claims Division handled the case, with help from Gillian Feiner, chief of the False Claims Division.