Office Depot pays $4.75 million to settle false claims charges
Washington —
Office Depot Inc. has paid $4.75 million to settle charges that it sold
office products to the U.S. government that were manufactured in
countries that don’t have reciprocal trade agreements with the United
States, the Justice Department said Monday.
The Justice Department alleged that Office Depot sold products to
government agencies under a General Services Administration contract
that were made in countries like Taiwan and China in violation of the
Trade Agreements Act
Monday’s settlement was a result of a False Claims Act case filed in
January 2003 by Safina Office Products and two of its executives, which
will receive a share of the settlement.
A spokesman for Office Depot wasn’t available for comment.