ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A Virginia firm has agreed to pay $31,000 in damages and civil penalties to settle allegations that it improperly secured a number of loans to assist it through the COVID-19 pandemic, prosecutors stated.
The settlement resolves allegations that Zen Options Inc. of Arlington utilized for and acquired a second, duplicative mortgage by way of the Paycheck Safety Program mortgage in 2020, stated Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Lawyer for the Japanese District of Virginia, in a information launch on Friday.
In keeping with the information launch, Zen Options supplies staffing providers for data expertise, information analytics, cyber safety and litigation assist. The settlement resolved a lawsuit filed underneath the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which allows personal events to sue on behalf of the U.S. for false claims and share in a portion of the federal government’s restoration.
The settlement additionally requires the corporate to completely repay the duplicative $192,000 mortgage it acquired.