A Miami-based air cargo company has paid over $1 million to settle allegations that it lied about when it delivered U.S. mail overseas.
Sky Lease I Inc. agreed to pay $1,030,000 to resolve False Claims Act allegations, the Justice Department announced. The settlement highlights ongoing federal efforts to hold contractors accountable for falsifying delivery records. Such deceptions can disrupt international mail service and defraud taxpayers who are funding postal contracts.
Sky Lease held contracts with the U.S. Postal Service to transport mail from American locations to foreign posts. The company also handled shipments from Department of Defense and State Department facilities abroad. Sky Lease has delivery routes spanning four continents and 10 countries worldwide, according to its website.
To receive payment, Sky Lease had to scan mail receptacles and report delivery times electronically. Federal officials allege the company submitted false timestamps about when it transferred mail to recipients.
“The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that government contractors provide the services they have contracted to provide,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said, according to a DOJ news release. “When contractors knowingly fail to provide services for which they have been paid, the Department of Justice will pursue appropriate remedies to redress the violations and deter future ones.”
The Postal Service relies on commercial airlines to safeguard and deliver international mail on schedule. Any disruption or deception in this process can impact diplomatic communications and military correspondence.
“The USPS contracts with commercial airlines for the safeguarding and timely delivery of U.S. mail to foreign posts,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Ken Cleevely of the USPS Office of Inspector General. He noted that his office “aggressively” investigates contractual violations and falsification of delivery information.
The investigation involved coordination between the Justice Department’s Civil Division and the USPS Inspector General’s office. The USPS Office of General Counsel also provided substantial assistance.
Officials stressed that the settlement resolves only the allegations. There has been no determination of liability against Sky Lease.
