Stratford helicopter manufacturer and United Technologies subsidiary Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. will pay a $3.5 million civil fine to settle allegations that it charged the federal government inflated prices for spare parts, Connecticut U.S. District Attorney Deirdre M. Daly’s office announced.
The government alleged that from Feb. 7, 2008 to Sept. 8, 2011, Sikorsky failed to tell the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command, or AMCOM, that it had lower prices for certain spare parts.
AMCOM is one of the Army’s purchasing commands and is in charge of purchasing spare parts for the Black Hawk helicopter, which Sikorsky manufactures.
The alleged failure by Sikorsky violated the federal False Claims Act and the Truth In Negotiations Act, Daly said in a statement.
“Failure to disclose accurate, complete and current cost and pricing data created an uneven playing field in the negotiation process which tilted unfairly in Sikorksy’s favor,” Daly said.
Sikorsky released a statement on the settlement Monday afternoon saying: “Sikorsky is pleased to have reached an agreement to resolve this matter with the Army and looks forward to continuing to work closely with the Army to maintain its fleet of [Black Hawk] helicopters.”
