The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri has reached a civil settlement with Fiserv Inc. and Fiserv Solutions LLC, resolving claims that the company failed to comply with postal regulations and improperly obtained postage discounts from the United States Postal Service (USPS).
Under the agreement, Fiserv will pay $8,994,221 to the United States. Of this amount, $5,032,525 is restitution directed to USPS.
Fiserv is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and provides printing and mailing services for various documents including invoices and credit cards. The allegations centered on its facility in Hazlewood, Missouri. The case involved claims that Fiserv did not follow the USPS Move Update standard—a requirement aimed at reducing mail forwarding or returns by keeping address lists up-to-date. Compliance with this standard allows companies to receive postage discounts on bulk mailings.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the False Claims Act’s whistleblower provisions by Deborah Lynn Getchman, a former employee of Fiserv. These provisions allow private individuals to sue on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. Getchman will receive $1,596,474 from the settlement as her share.
Tammy Hull, U.S. Postal Service Inspector General stated: “The United States Postal Service provides discounts to mailers who meet certain standards of reducing the volume of mail that requires being forwarding or returned. Any company falsely claiming these discounts should know that we will pursue this fraud and bring them to justice. This case highlights the important role whistleblowers play in our work. We thank this whistleblower for coming forward and reporting these fraudulent activities.”
U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus added: “We thank the whistleblower in this case and we encourage others who know of an individual or company defrauding the government to bring their concerns forward. This settlement is an example of our important civil enforcement efforts where we work with whistleblowers to protect government funds.”
The investigation was conducted by both the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri and USPS Office of Inspector General Contract Fraud Investigation Division.
This announcement was made public after November 13 following a federal government shutdown.
