FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         CIV
THURSDAY, JULY 20, 1995                            (202) 616-2765
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

                                 
    B.F. GOODRICH PAYS U.S. $552,500 TO RESOLVE LIABILITY FOR
      MANUFACTURING DEFECTIVE 15-MAN ASSAULT RAFTS FOR ARMY

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The B.F. Goodrich Company will pay the
United Stated $552,500 to resolve allegations it knowingly
manufactured defective 15-person assault rafts for the Army from
1986 through 1988, the Department of Justice announced today.   
     Assistant Attorney General Frank Hunger of the Civil
Division said there were no reports of injuries involving the
rafts.  He said the agreement settles B. F. Goodrich's civil
liability under the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C.  3729, and
common law.  The Army issued two recall alerts for the rafts. 
     Some 556 rafts were manufactured by B.F. Goodrich's
Engineered Rubber Products Division of Fenwick, West Virginia, in
1986 at a cost of approximately $4,900 for each raft under a $1.9
million Department of Defense contract.  B.F. Goodrich sold its
Engineered Rubber Products Division in 1988.
     An investigation by the Defense Criminal Investigative
Service and FBI alleged that B.F. Goodrich was cutting corners in
its manufacturing process.  The investigation revealed that 179
rafts included at least one of three distinct defects:  
     --The raft was manufactured with an adhesive that was weaker
than that required under the contract. 
     --The bow height was either too low or too high so that the
raft was unable to function under all possible conditions.  
     --The raft was too warped or twisted to function under all
necessary conditions. 
     Arthur Dale Blake, a former government quality inspector
stationed at the Engineered Rubber Products facility, pleaded
guilty July 22, 1993, to a criminal charge he illegally received
a gratuity for performing his job, which included inspecting
rafts.  Blake was one of the government's quality assurance
representatives at the Engineered Rubber Products facility during
the time the rafts were manufactured.  

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