WASHINGTON — Facebook agreed on Tuesday to pay up to $14.25 million to settle claims brought by the federal government in the waning days of the Trump administration that the company had discriminated against American workers.
The Justice Department sued the company in December, arguing that Facebook had declined to “recruit, consider or hire” qualified Americans for more than 2,000 positions. Instead, prosecutors accused the company of giving those jobs to foreign workers who held work visas.
The agreement with the Justice Department included payments of $4.75 million to the government and as much as $9.5 million to “eligible victims of Facebook’s alleged discrimination,” according to a news release. The company also separately settled concerns raised by the Labor Department this year over whether it violated labor regulations.
A Facebook spokesman, Andy Stone, said that the company believed it had met the government standards but that the settlements allowed the company to move forward.
“These resolutions will enable us to continue our focus on hiring the best builders from both the U.S. and around the world, and supporting our internal community of highly skilled visa holders who are seeking permanent residence,” he said in a statement.
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