Capstones
Graduation Date
Fall 12-16-2016
Grading Professor
Jarrett Murphy
Subject Concentration
Investigative
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Abstract
The federal government relies heavily on outside contractors to provide essential research and services. Following World War II, the Department of Defense and the military began to rely on approved government contractors to develop, test and improve weapons and tools used to keep soldiers and the nation safe.
Defense contracting is a massive business that commands billions of dollars a year. Despite the magnitude of the United States' contracting system, detecting fraud and preventing bad actors from continuing to profit off of the government has proven difficult. The systems at hand: civil and criminal charges, suspension and debarment have consistently proven to be inadequate at preventing fraud.
This story investigates the consequences (or lack thereof) for contractors who commit fraud. It also explains how the system is supposed to work and what tools the government has to protect itself.
The story focuses on EOTech and its parent company L-3. EOTech was successfully charged with fraud at the end of 2015 yet L-3 continues to profit from the federal government.
Website:
https://shaneenglish.github.io/acostofdoingbusiness/index.html
Recommended Citation
English, Shane M., "A Cost of Doing Business: Defense Contracting Fraud" (2016). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gj_etds/142
Included in
Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons, Contracts Commons, Journalism Studies Commons