Complaint Filed Against the State of Utah and 18 Current and Former Utah Government Officials for False Claims Act Violations

On April 10, 2020, the Department of Justice filed a Civil Complaint against the State of Utah and eighteen current and former Utah government officials for violations of the False Claims Act related to four grants and three cooperative agreements, awarded from in or about 2009 through in or about 2011, with grant periods ending in or about 2013.  According to the Civil Complaint, the defendants falsely certified that they would comply with the non-supplanting provisions of the grant programs.  For example, some defendants allegedly transferred existing employees to grant-funded positions without backfilling the vacated positions with new hires.  Additionally, some defendants allegedly paid employee salaries with federal funds while misrepresenting to the Office of Justice Programs that the employees’ positions would be, or were, eliminated in budget cuts, and one or more defendants allegedly paid agents’ salaries without accurately tracking and charging the agents’ time.  The Civil Complaint alleged that the defendants misused millions of dollars in Department of Justice grant funds.  The investigation is being conducted by the OIG’s Fraud Detection Office.