Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell recently ordered BPI Construction Management, a construction company based in Framingham, to pay over $926,898.06 for its subcontractor's inability to pay its laborers the prevailing wage during two public construction projects in Massachusetts. The ruling, seen as a precedent assertion of the Massachusetts False Claims Act, implements increased accountability of contractors for dishonest practices by their subcontractors in public construction operations within the state according to the Office of the Attorney General.
Initially, in December 2021, the complaint lodged by the AG's office against BPI Construction Management accused the company that even when their laborers received less than half of the appropriate payments, BPI and its subcontractor processed 32 deceptive payroll documentation to show compliance with the Massachusetts Prevailing Wage Law.
AG Campbell stressed, “Companies that use public funds for projects must ensure that all workers receive the pay and benefits they are entitled to.” Additionally, the Court refuted BPI's defense of innocence, asserting that the company was party to its subcontractor's infractions by failing to validate Superior's suspicious payroll forms. The Court's rejection highlights BPI's contribution to encouraging its subcontractor's deceitful practices stated by The Attorney General's Fair Labor Division.
