Firm once known as Blackwater faces another suit

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A current worker and a former employee of the security contractor previously known as Blackwater have filed a whistleblower suit against the company in federal court, the second such suit filed against the firm.

The lawsuit alleges Blackwater, now known as Xe (ZEE), overbilled the government for work protecting State Department employees in Iraq and Afghanistan. Part of the alleged fraud included billing for the services of certified snipers who were not properly qualified.

The case was filed under seal in April but a judge in Alexandria unsealed it Thursday. The case was filed under a federal law that allows plaintiffs to keep part of any money awarded to the government for the alleged fraud.

A similar case is scheduled to go to trial this month. A company spokesman declined comment Thursday.