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Former Defense Dept. Contractor From Md. Indicted For Allegedly Submitting False Claims For Hours Worked

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Gaithersburg woman has been indicted for allegedly submitting claims for hours she worked on a government project when she was not at work.

Melissa Heyer, 44, reportedly worked for a company that provided national security duties for the defense department but was stationed at the National Security Agency facility in Fort Meade on a daily basis.

The indictment said Heyer falsely claimed to be at work when she was elsewhere on at least five occasions between January 2017 and March 2019.

The false claims led the government to pay the company Heyer worked for, as well as the company that contracted that company and Heyer herself, more than $100,000 they weren't entitled to, the justice department said.

If convicted, Heyer could face five years in prison for each of the five counts in the indictment.

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