The U.S. Justice Department said it has resolved its probes into Balfour Beatty Communities, one of the U.S. military's largest private landlords, after the company pleaded guilty Dec. 22 to one count of major fraud and agreed to pay over $65M in fines and restitution. Balfour Beatty was being investigated for defrauding the Air Force, Army and Navy. A company spokesperson said Thursday: “We have taken full responsibility and apologize to all our stakeholders.” [Gulf Coast Note: Balfour Beatty operates military housing at NAS Meridian and NCBC Gulfport, Miss., and Slidell, La.] The company is a unit of British conglomerate Balfour Beatty Plc (BALF.L). Reuters’ reports in 2019 described how Balfour Beatty employees falsified maintenance documents at AF bases to help the company qualify for incentive fee payments, citing five former employees who said they falsified records, company e-mails and internal AF communications. Service members and their families were exposed to asbestos, vermin, mold and raw sewage. The reports prompted an investigation by the AF. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan accepted the company's guilty plea and sentenced it to pay over $65M, serve three years of probation, and engage an independent compliance monitor for a period of three years. (Source: Reuters 12/22/21) U.S. military landlord pleads guilty to fraud, resolving probe - Justice Dept. | Reuters
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