A settlement has been reached in a whistleblower class action lawsuit brought against Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) who is accused of submitting false claims to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) concerning AmeriCorps state and national grants.
The whistleblower's share of the settlement is $775,827.
MCCCD obtained AmeriCorps funding for Project Ayuda, a program that proposed to engage students in national service. In order to receive an AmeriCorps education award, a student had to meet certain service-hour requirements.
Filed in 2011, the complaint alleges MCCCD allegedly improperly certified that students had completed the required number of service hours so that they would earn an education award. This resulted in CNCS providing education awards to these students. MCCCD also allegedly improperly received grant funds from CNCS to administer the project.