Ventana Productions, Inc. has agreed to pay $50,000 to the United States to resolve allegations that it disguised employee food expenses as charges for non-existent products and services on invoices submitted to the federal government, according to a July 30 announcement from the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.
U.S. Attorney Pirro said, “Waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars will not be tolerated. Every day, this Office works aggressively to expose fraud and abuse that diverts taxpayer dollars from their intended purpose. Contractors have a duty to bill the government honestly, and when they violate that trust, we will act decisively to hold them accountable.”
Judd Leinum, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General (OIG), said, “Federal contractors are expected to bill the government honestly and accurately. Disguising employee meal expenses as information technology products and services undermines the integrity of the federal procurement process. Any attempt to falsely bill the Department will not be tolerated. This settlement demonstrates our commitment to protecting taxpayer funds and holding contractors accountable for false claims. We appreciate the partnership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in resolving this matter.”
According to officials, Ventana is a video production company with offices in Washington, DC, and New York City that performed multimedia production support work for the U.S. Census Bureau under two General Services Administration contracts. The OIG investigation began after an anonymous tip led investigators to discover seven instances where Ventana invoiced Census for charges designed to hide costs associated with employee meals purchased from establishments such as Dunkin Donuts and Panera Bread by labeling them as items like “hard drives,” “media transfer,” or “parking.” These false invoices were submitted between July 2019 and February 2024; Census paid Ventana $1,533.27 based on these misrepresented charges.
The investigation was conducted by OIG agents along with Assistant United States Attorney Sean M. Tepe and Auditor Timothy J. Hurley before reaching a civil settlement agreement with Ventana.
Officials stated that “the claims resolved by the civil settlements are allegations only,” noting there has been no determination of liability.