WASHINGTON — A major U.S. military housing contractor that pleaded guilty last year to covering up shoddy work from 2013 through 2019, so that the company could keep earning millions of dollars in awards for performance, has continued its behavior into this year, a new Senate subcommittee investigation found.
The company, Balfour Beatty Communities LLC, pleaded guilty in federal district court in Washington in December to defrauding the armed forces by falsifying housing repair records in order to receive higher awards. The company paid $65 million in fines and restitution.
According to the plea agreement with the Justice Department, the company conceded that it doctored data in a work order database so as to appear to be promptly and effectively handling repair requests while, in reality, problems such as mold and rodents had continued to fester. Top executives were not convicted, though two lower-ranking company officials were.
