“Wisconsin contractor’s guilty plea involves work on New Orleans’ streetcar line”
Transcript:
A Wisconsin contractor has pleaded guilty to illegally substituting foreign-made building materials in nearly a half-dozen federally-funded projects that required American-made materials, including expansion work tied to New Orleans’ streetcar line.
Despite the criminal charge, the work in New Orleans did not pose a safety risk, according to an attorney involved in the case.
As part of a plea deal entered this week in federal court in Wisconsin, Novum Structures LLC pleaded guilty to falsifying and concealing material facts from the executive and legislative branches of the federal government.
In June 2011, Novum submitted a proposal to a contractor to furnish and install two glass and steel canopies as part of New Orleans’ streetcar expansion work. Novum was required to use American-made materials. However, Novum used Chinese-made tension rods and rotules, according to court records.
The New Orleans project was among 11 that were cited in the court filings, which totaled up to $30 million in contracts for work that spanned from 2007 to 2013.
As part of the plea deal, Novum agreed to a $500,000 criminal fine and that it would be barred from obtaining work on projects funded by the federal government.
The allegations came to light in 2012 after a former Novum employee, Brenda King, filed suit against the company under the False Claims Act. King has since settled.
Her attorney, Brian Mahany, said Wednesday that the work in question in New Orleans did not pose a safety risk.
Made in America Whistleblower Rewards
The Novum Structures case was our first Buy America case but it wasn’t our last. Since then we have investigated cases involving dozens of reports of foreign made goods being sold to Uncle Sam and mislabeled as Made in America.
Since the Great Depression in the 1930’s, Congress has passed a number of laws giving preference to goods made in the United States, particularly steel. Those laws were originally meant to protect American jobs. In recent years Congress and the administration are looking to Buy American laws to insure we are able to maintain critical infrastructure and life safety in the event of war or a pandemic.
One need not look any further than the coronavirus pandemic to see that we were caught without masks, ventilators or life saving drugs. Well over half our pharmaceuticals are now manufactured outside the United States. A much higher percentage of surgical masks come from China. When the pandemic struck we learned what happens when critical manufacturing infrastructure is beyond our reach.
If you have information about goods purchased with tax dollars falsely being labeled as Made in America or if you have information about Buy America / Buy American laws, you may be entitled to a cash reward. Just as the whistleblower in the Novum Structures case received a reward, you can too.
The Civil War era False Claims Act pays rewards of between 15% and 30% of whatever the government collects from the wrongdoer. By reporting these violations, you are not only eligible for a reward, you are also protecting American jobs. To learn more, visit our Made in America whistleblower reward page.
Ready to see if you qualify for a reward? Visit us online, by email or by phone . We accept cases nationwide. All inquiries are kept strictly confidential.