The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc., based in El Segundo, Calif., has agreed to pay $9 million to resolve False Claims Act violation allegations.
According to the Justice Department, the settlement resolves a lawsuit filed and litigated by former Aerojet employee Brian Markus against Aerojet via the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act permitting a private party to file a lawsuit on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery.
According to the Justice Department, the allegations involved Aerojet Rocketdyne misrepresenting its compliance with cybersecurity requirements in specific federal government contracts.
“Whistleblowers with inside information and technical expertise can provide crucial assistance in identifying cybersecurity failures and misconduct,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said.
Markus would receive $2.61 million as his share of the False Claims Act recovery.
“The qui tam action brought by Mr. Markus is an example of how whistleblowers can contribute to civil enforcement of cybersecurity requirements through the False Claims Act,” U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California said.
According to the Justice Department, Aerojet Rocketdyne provides propulsion and power systems for launch vehicles, missiles and satellites, and other space vehicles to federal agencies, including the Department of Defense and NASA.