CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
Trump mega-donor’s company pays $1 million settlement for illegal workers
A fake $2020 bill featuring former President Donald Trump. Photo illustration: Christopher Sciacca/Shutterstock
The family-owned company of President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign co-chair in Louisiana has agreed to pay $1.025 million to resolve allegations that it hired workers ineligible to work in the United States, the U.S. Department of Justice announced this week.
Bollinger Shipyard LLC of Lockport was accused of violating the False Claims Act for knowingly billing the U.S. Coast Guard for the labor the illegal workers performed. The company’s settlement with the federal government is not an admission of guilt but effectively brings the matter to a close.
Bollinger is a longtime military contractor that manufactures the Coast Guard’s fast response cutter (FRC) vessel. The Justice Department alleged the shipbuilder’s violations took place from 2015-20 under its FRC contracts.
Bollinger Shipyard’s Lockport office directed a reporter’s call with questions to executive vice president Geoffrey Green, who has not yet responded.
The federal government requires contractors to confirm their employees are eligible to work in the United States, and officials alleged Bollinger failed to comply with this requirement. As a result, “several ineligible employees worked on the contract,” according to the Justice Department, and the company was paid for the work they performed.
“Companies that conduct business with the United States are required to do so in a legitimate manner,” U.S Attorney Duane Evans said in a news release.
President Joe Biden appointed Evans to lead federal prosecutions in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
As of November, Bollinger delivered 58 of the 67 fast response cutters the Coast Guard has ordered from the company at a cost of about $2 billion.
The former chairman and CEO of Bollinger Shipyard, Donald “Boysie” Bollinger Jr., has served as co-chair of the Trump campaign in Louisiana for the past three elections. Bollinger’s nephew, Ben Bordelon, took over as company leader in 2014, marking the third generation of family leadership at the 79-year-old business.
Bollinger has served as treasurer of the Republican Party of Louisiana and chaired the Louisiana presidential campaigns for George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney.
Since 2016, Bollinger has donated more than $1.13 million to Republican candidates through Bollinger Enterprises, his separate investment company, based on numbers from OpenSecrets.org.
Over the same period, Bollinger’s donations to Democrats totaled $5,600, though he notably backed Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu in her re-election loss to Bill Cassidy in 2014.
Bollinger’s largest political contributions in 2024 were $113,000 to the Republican National Committee and $100,000 to Make America Great Again Inc.
Last June, Bollinger hosted a $3,300-a-person fundraiser at his New Orleans home for Trump. The event raised $5 million, The Times-Picayune reported.
Efforts to reach Bollinger for comment were unsuccessful.
Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.
Bollinger Shipyard Pays $1M Settling Allegations of “Ineligible” Workers
The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a settlement agreement with Bollinger Shipyard of Louisiana related to allegations that the company billed the U.S. Coast Guard for labor provided by workers who were “not eligible to work in the United States.” The allegations related to work done between 2015 and 2020 for the U.S. Coast Guard as part of the contract for the Fast Response Cutter program.
According to the announcement, Bollinger Shipyard has agreed to pay $1,025,000 to resolve the allegations. There was no determination of liability.
Bollinger manufactures ships for the United States, including the Coast Guard’s Fast Response Cutter (FRC). The program began in 2008 with the award for the prototype vessel which became the Bernard C. Webber which was delivered in 2011 and commissioned the following year. The U.S. Coast Guard considers it a highly successful program with current plans to expand to at least 67 vessels. In May 2024, it excised a construction option with Bollinger for numbers 66 and 67 and in November took delivery on number 58. Two more are currently under construction for delivery in 2025.
“It is essential to the safety and operational readiness of our fleet that contractors comply with all contractual requirements,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division announcing the settlement agreement.
The United States alleged that, from 2015 to 2020, Bollinger knowingly billed the Coast Guard for labor prohibited under the FRC contracts. The company was “contractually required to confirm that its employees were eligible to work in the United States,” said DOJ. The allegations were that the Coast Guard was billed for “the labor provided by the ineligible employees” and that Bollinger “received payment for those bills.”
“Today’s settlement sends a clear message that contractors providing services to DHS programs will be held accountable for breaking the law,” said Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari Ph.D. of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “DHS’ Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) and our law enforcement partners will continue to prioritize protecting our national security from these kinds of schemes.”
Bollinger has not commented on the agreement. It highlights a long relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard. During the November 2024 handover ceremony for number 58, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) John Witherspoon, Bollinger said it was the 184th vessel built by the company for the U.S. Coast Guard over a 40-year partnership.
Bollinger is also under contract to build the Polar Security Cutter (PSC) heavy polar icebreaker for the United States Coast Guard. Other projects include a new class of berthing barges for the U.S. Navy. It has delivered three of the berthing and messing barges to the Navy and in October 2024 received a contract for the seventh unit of the class.
Donald G. Bollinger founded the company in 1946. Currently, Bollinger operates 11 yards located in Louisiana and Mississippi with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River, and the Intracoastal Waterway. It is also the largest vessel repair company in the Gulf of Mexico region.
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