Investigations

On November 14, a Florence, MT highway paint contractor agreed in U.S. District Court in Missoula, MT to pay $200,000 to settle false claims stemming from overstating the quantity of epoxy paint used on Federally-funded highway striping projects around the state. Under the terms of the settlement agreement with FHWA, Promark, Inc. is required to submit to an annual audit of their contracts and to submit a plan to improve their administrative and auditing functions that ensure accurate accounting practices. An OIG investigation found that the Montana Department of Transportation was overbilled by approximately $697,000.