Complaint Claims Verizon Wireless Overcharged DOD Millions
Verizon Wireless allegedly took millions of dollars from the Defense Department through fraudulently inflated billings, said a whistleblower complaint (in Pacer) unsealed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. OnTheGo Wireless, filing the complaint as a…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
relator on behalf of the United States, said Verizon violated the False Claims Act by not honoring a promise to provide prices to DOD that are as good or better than those charged other customers. “Verizon routinely and knowingly overcharged the DOD for wireless communication services,” the complaint said. “The margin of overcharge was immense, amounting to millions of dollars each year.” Verizon senior executives knew about the overcharging, it said. OnTheGo said it knew about the scheme because Verizon retained a related entity to analyze pricing plans, including nonpublic pricing data, for many of Verizon’s customers. The relator said it was “present at meetings where Verizon acknowledged its failure to comply with the best pricing obligations it owed the government.” The complaint seeks damages and civil penalties on behalf of the U.S. Verizon didn’t comment Thursday.