Hewlett-Packard to Pay $16.3 Million to Settle Probe
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Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s largest computer maker, agreed to pay $16.25 million to settle a government investigation of fraud in a program that funds Internet connections in schools and libraries, the Justice Department said.
The Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission, acting on tips from whistle blowers, investigated claims that contractors, working with HP and other companies, gave gifts to school districts in Dallas and Houston to win contracts that included $17 million in HP equipment for the E-rate program, the Justice Department said in an e-mailed statement. The FCC’s E-Rate program funds Internet connections for schools and libraries.