Summary

On March 2, 2016 Novum Structures LLC (Novum), a Menomonee Falls, WI-based architectural firm, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Milwaukee, WI, for making false statements on documents involving government contracts. Novum was ordered to pay a $500,000 fine. The false statements pertained to the improper use of foreign materials on construction projects involving Federal funds. This use was in violation of contractual provisions implementing various domestic preference statutes, often referred to colloquially as the Buy America requirements.

Novum previously agreed to pay $2.5 million to resolve civil allegations under the False Claims Act that its conduct caused the submission of false claims for payment. The civil settlement resolved allegations that Novum caused false claims by knowingly—and in violation of its contractual obligations—using noncompliant foreign materials on several federally funded construction projects from January 1, 2004 through July 11, 2013.

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with the GSA-OIG, DCIS, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency OIG, Architect of the Capitol OIG, DOC-OIG, and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division.