May 21, 2025
Lighting Supplier Fined $300K for False “Buy American” Claims
Connecticut firm falsely claimed lights made in China met U.S. sourcing requirements
In Berlin, Connecticut, where old mill buildings cast long shadows over Main Street, one LED lighting company was busy casting its own. LED Lighting Solutions, once a GSA-approved vendor of American-made light fixtures for the federal government, is now at the center of a federal enforcement action.
On May 20, federal prosecutors announced a $300,000 civil settlement with LED Lighting Solutions and its owner, Thomas DeSantos, resolving allegations that the company violated the False Claims Act by falsely certifying compliance with the Buy American Act (BAA) and the Trade Agreements Act (TAA). According to investigators, the company knowingly sold foreign-made products — some shipped directly from China — to agencies ranging from the U.S. Air Force to the Department of Agriculture.
A Shifting Storyline
LED Lighting Solutions entered the General Services Administration’s Multiple Award Schedule program in 2013, a contract vehicle that enables federal agencies to purchase vetted goods from pre-approved vendors. As part of its inclusion in the program, the company certified that its products complied with trade laws that restrict procurement of certain foreign goods — China included. It reiterated those certifications annually. But behind the paperwork was a darker truth.
Investigators found that LED Lighting Solutions and DeSantos had not only misrepresented the origin of their products, but in at least one case arranged for items to ship directly from China to a federal agency. The implications are serious: under the TAA, China is not an approved source country, and the BAA mandates a preference for American-made goods in many federal contracts. Multiple delivery orders from the Army, FEMA, and other agencies were affected.
The case came to a head not only in federal court but also at the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, where LED Lighting had filed two cases contesting contract terminations. As part of the settlement, the company agreed to withdraw both appeals — with prejudice.
From Full Catalog to Clean-Up Mode
Before the federal enforcement action, LED Lighting Solutions advertised a broad range of products: street and area lights, parking garage fixtures, wall packs, high bays, flood lights, downlights, and LED tube lights. Today, its website shows just six items — two flat panels, a troffer, a strip light, one emergency downlight, and a site light.
Above: The top-of-page banner that appeared on LED Lighting Solutions home page in 2024
Whether this pared-down catalog reflects a strategic shift or a quiet removal of non-compliant products is unclear. But the timing, coming amid a settlement over Buy American Act violations, suggests the company may be distancing itself from offerings that previously ran afoul of federal sourcing rules. Buyers browsing the remaining catalog might also note the continued claims that products are DLC listed — a detail worth confirming independently, given recent events.
The Broader Cost
For federal buyers, the fallout may not stop at paperwork violations. Certain agencies — the Air Force, the Army, FEMA, and others — may not have received what they paid for, especially if those purchases were made under the assumption that the lighting products were domestically manufactured. That’s not just a regulatory issue; it’s a procurement one.
And while LED Lighting Solutions collected federal dollars, other manufacturers playing by the rules may have lost out. In an industry where margins are tight and contract access is highly competitive, even small distortions in compliance can shift opportunities away from U.S.-based firms meeting the standard. For those companies, this case is more than a cautionary tale — it’s a missed shot at fair competition.
