Washington, DC – The Law Office of Joseph Hennessey, LLC and Rifkin Weiner Livingston, LLC have filed an amended complaint in Larry Hawkins ex rel. v. ManTech International Corp. et al, CA 15-2105, for violations of The False Claims Act (“FCA”) and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (“TVPRA”).  This case alleges that ManTech made material false claims to the U.S. and engaged in internationally proscribed human trafficking in performing a $2.6 billion contract to service Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (“MRAP”) vehicles at the  Kuwait Maintenance Sustainment Facility (“KMSF”).  Relator/Plaintiffs are five employees of ManTech, some with managerial authority, who worked at the KMSF.  Their complaint seeks the return of the $2.6 billion paid to ManTech plus treble damages of $7.8 billion, as well as disgorgement of all revenue paid to ManTech, restitution to the TVPRA victims, payment of attorney’s fees, and other damages. Among the allegations made in the complaint:

• In violation of FCA, ManTech instructed its employees to misreport to th U.S. Army the direct labor hours worked repairing and servicing MRAP vehicles so as to create a false record of performance efficiency, hide its incompetence, falsely qualify itself for successive contract options, gain an unfair advantage over competitors, and ultimately unjustly increase its compensation under this manhour service contract.  Not only did this misreporting unjustly enrich ManTech but it caused false data to be fed to U.S. military commanders regarding the readiness of MRAPs for combat operations in Afghanistan.
  
• In violation of TVPRA, ManTech illegally brought U.S. mechanics into Kuwait as “tourist” and, in knowing contravention of the laws of the State of Kuwait and under the threat of arrest by Kuwaiti authorities, put them to work without required work visas or work permits.
• In violation of U.S. Army Public Health Command, Guidelines for Controlling Health Hazards in Painting Operations (and in further violation of the TVPRA), ManTech forced its employees to work in a smoke-filled, unairconditioned, toxic environment without any of the personal protective equipment.  Plaintiffs and other members of ManTech’s workforce suffered and continue to suffer respiratory distress from exposure to the burning of Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (“CARC”) paint – a known carcinogen. In further violation of the FCA, ManTech realized additional profits by not investing in the equipment that would have been necessary to protect its employees against known CARC carcinogens. 
• In violation of the TVPRA, ManTech threatened its employees with thousands of dollars in penalties if they attempted to leave employment with ManTech. 
• In violation of the TVPRA, ManTech confiscated its employees’ U.S. passports making it difficult for its employees to extract themselves from their toxic work environment.

For a copy of the complaint, click HERE. 

Relators are represented by Joseph A. Hennessey of The Law Office of Joseph Hennessey, LLC (jahlegal.com) and Charles S. Fax, Liesel Shopler, and Ty Kelly of Rifkin, Weiner, Livingston, LLC (http://www.rwllaw.com).