University of Florida pays $20 million to settle fraud charges over grants funds

The University of Florida will pay the United States $19.875 million to settle government charges that it improperly charged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for salary and administrative costs on hundreds of federal grants. The grants in question were administered from the University of Florida campuses that are in Gainesville and Jacksonville, according to the DOJ.

The allegations related to misuse of grant funds awarded by HHS to the university between 2005 and December 2010. The DOJ said the U.S. contended that the university overcharged hundreds of grants for the salary costs of its employees, and it did not have documentation to support the level of effort claimed on the grants for those employees.

The DOJ said the University of Florida receives millions of dollars in funding from HHS for hundreds of grants each year.

The government also charged that the university charged some of the grants for administrative costs for equipment and supplies when those items should not have been directly charged to the grants under federal regulations, according to the DOJ.

The  University of Florida receives millions of dollars in funding from HHS for hundreds of grants each year.