Hewlett-Packard recently agreed to pay $16.5 million to settle a lawsuit claiming the company had violated bidding regulations in the Houston and Dallas school districts for technology contracts.  Inquiries into the company began after a whistleblower suit was filed against them in 2007.

Investigations revealed that Hewlett-Packard aligned with a Houston businessman, Frankie Wong, who was later convicted of bribery.  HP and Wong were accused of paying gratuities and bribing district officials to win bids for their E-rate program.  E-rate is a program created by HP to pay for internet connections in schools and libraries.

HP reportedly paid for district officials' meals, bought them trips and gave them tickets to the 2004 Super Bowl to entice them into giving them the information they needed to secure a contract with the school districts.  

Contact the Houston whistleblower protection lawyers of Ross Law Group at 713-482-6910 if you or someone you know has questions about reporting a legal violation.