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ARTICLE · 02 OCTOBER 2024

Stung By Cybersecurity Noncompliance: DOJ Unveils Its False Claims Act Complaint Against Georgia Tech

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As reported in our August 2024 client alert, earlier this year the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) intervened in a False Claims Act (FCA) matter initiated by two whistleblowers...

United StatesTechnology
Joseph W. Swanson
Joseph W. Swanson
Jason Mehta
Jason Mehta
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As reported in our August 2024 client alert, earlier this year the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) intervened in a False Claims Act (FCA) matter initiated by two whistleblowers, alleging that Georgia Tech Research Corporation and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) violated various cybersecurity requirements that are part of Department of Defense (DoD) contracts. The DOJ's intervention was another data point showing prosecutors' deep interest in pursuing cybersecurity-related fraud.

The Complaint

On August 22, 2024, the DOJ filed its 99-page complaint in the Georgia Tech case, reflecting the results of a thorough pre-suit investigation. In that pleading, the DOJ quotes extensively from internal emails, internal instant messages, other communications, and testimony to allege that the defendants violated federal cybersecurity rules and regulations applicable to the institutions as government contractors. Further, this documentation supports the

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