BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Canadian company has paid nearly $970,000 in a settlement to the United States to resolve allegations of government procurement fraud under the False Claims Act.
Nightingale Corporations headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, which manufactures office seating and furniture, was awarded a contract in 2019 to build furniture for U.S. federal agencies, including the Department of Defense. The contract stipulated that the chairs must be produced in the U.S.
The government alleges that during the bidding process, Nightingale falsely said it would have the chairs produced at its Tonawanda location. The company was awarded the contract in part because it said it would produce them in the U.S.
However, between February of 2020 and April of 2021, the chairs were produced in Canada.
“When the federal government agreed to purchase Nightingale’s products, it did so with the understanding that the purchase would support American workers, but that did not happen,” stated U.S. Attorney Ross. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that any company being paid with taxpayer dollars, honors its contracted commitment.”
