Pioneer Local

Grainger pays $70M to settle government contract dispute

Updated: December 27, 2012 1:08PM

LAKE FOREST — National hardware distributor W.W. Grainger Inc. has agreed to pay $70 million to settle allegations it didn’t meet federal contracts.

The Justice Department announced the settlement Wednesday with the Lake Forest-based company. Federal officials say Grainger submitted false claims under contracts with the General Services Administration and the U.S. Postal Service. Officials say government customers paid higher prices than they should have paid.

Federal prosecutors say the discrepancies were discovered during an audit of Grainger after the company received government contracts.





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