ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL, the largest contractor working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was indicted in 1991 for over-billing the U.S. government for space[Page 698] shuttle repair and production work. It marked the fourth time in a decade that Rockwell was accused of mischarging the government. The company pleaded guilty in two of the earlier cases and agreed to an injunction against submitting false claims to the government in the third.

The NASA case involved allegations that Rockwell's Collins avionics operation, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, inflated records of the amount of time spent on NASA contracts by padding employee time cards and sending the agency false bills. The Cedar Rapids grand jury indictment charged the firm with 15 counts of conspiracy, mail, and wire ...