BERLIN, CT — A Berlin lighting company has reached a settlement with the U.S. government to settle allegations it illegally sold foreign products to the federal government.David X. Sullivan, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, said Tuesday LED Lighting Solutions and its owner, Thomas DeSantos, of Berlin, have entered into a $300,000 civil settlement agreement with the U.S....
BERLIN, CT — A Berlin lighting company has reached a settlement with the U.S. government to settle allegations it illegally sold foreign products to the federal government.
David X. Sullivan, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, said Tuesday LED Lighting Solutions and its owner, Thomas DeSantos, of Berlin, have entered into a $300,000 civil settlement agreement with the U.S. to resolve allegations they failed to comply with the requirements of the Buy American Act (“BAA”) and the Trade Agreements Act (“TAA”).
LED Lighting Solutions is located at 169 Circlewood Drive, Berlin.
Federal officials alleged LED Lighting Solutions sold foreign products to several government procuring agencies, including by shipping products directly from China to a procuring agency, in violation of the False Claims Act.
The TAA generally bars government procurements of end products from foreign countries that have not entered into trade agreements with the U.S.
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The BAA creates a preference for the government to acquire domestic end products.
In 2013, LED Lighting Solutions entered into a contract with the General Services Administration (“GSA”) to supply LED lights and lighting products, which required compliance with the TAA.
Before entering into the contract, LED Lighting Solutions provided GSA with a “letter of supply” attesting to its supplier’s compliance with the TAA, Sullivan said.
LED Lighting Solutions certified compliance with the TAA and failed to identify any foreign end products on its product list each year.
The Air Force, Coast Guard, GSA, Department of State, and USDA each ordered products from LED Lighting Solutions.
The government contends LED Lighting Solutions and DeSantos falsely certified they were providing these agencies with TAA-compliant end products when, in fact, some of the end products were manufactured in China, which has not entered into a trade agreement with the U.S., Sullivan said.
This included at least one contract for which LED Lighting Solutions and DeSantos arranged to have products shipped directly from China to the procuring agency, authorities said.