Two Delaware companies and their owners have agreed to pay $295,204 to resolve federal claims over billing for US Postal Service work, prosecutors announced on October 19.
The settlement covers Garrett Mechanical, Hey Brother LLC, Joseph Bruni and Daniel Tulchin. Their obligation is joint and several, meaning the figure is a shared liability rather than a separate payment of that amount by each defendant.
In a statement of undisputed facts attached to the agreement, the parties admitted conduct involving inflated labour and material charges, inaccurate completion certifications and forged Postal Service signatures during work between February 2021 and September 2023.
The agreement nevertheless resolves civil liability under the False Claims Act without an admission of that liability or a court determination on the merits. It identifies $147,602 of the settlement as restitution.
The government’s releases are limited to the specified civil claims and covered conduct, conditional on payment. Criminal liability and suspension or debarment powers are among the matters expressly reserved; settling the billing case does not itself extinguish those separate authorities.
