{"id":2662244,"date":"2026-09-16T08:00:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T12:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/it-giant-pays-u-s-government-25-million-after-being-accused-of-using-dei-practices-for-hiring-and-promotions\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T08:05:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T12:05:28","slug":"it-giant-pays-u-s-government-25-million-after-being-accused-of-using-dei-practices-for-hiring-and-promotions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/it-giant-pays-u-s-government-25-million-after-being-accused-of-using-dei-practices-for-hiring-and-promotions\/","title":{"rendered":"IT Giant Pays U.S. Government $25 Million After Being Accused of Using DEI Practices for Hiring and Promotions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fit-giant-pays-u-s-government-25-million-after-being-accused-of-using-dei-practices-for-hiring-and-promotions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2662244&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Accenture agreed to pay $25 million to the U.S. goverment after allegations that the company used race and sex as tools for hiring and promotion, contrary to federal nondiscrimination commitments. The justice Department stated that Accenture Federal Services, along wiht other parts of the company, falsely certified compliance with anti-discrimination standards while internally pursuing workforce diversity targets. These efforts included monthly scorecards, targeted hiring in late 2020 and early 2021, and programs like Amplify to Elevate, which provided race-based training and mentorship. Though Accenture denied liability and settled to avoid litigation costs, the case highlights ongoing government efforts to enforce equal opportunity laws and penalize discrimination, with similar settlements from IBM and Deloitte totaling over $63 million. The DOJ emphasized that merit remains the only lawful basis for employment decisions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Accenture will write the government a $25 million check.<\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department said the world\u2019s largest IT consulting firm used race and sex as hiring and promotion tools while telling federal customers it did not.<\/p>\n<p>Accenture Federal Services, Accenture plc, and Accenture LLP agreed to the payment to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations, the Justice Department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/accenture-agrees-pay-25m-resolve-alleged-employment-discrimination-violations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Federal contracts require contractors to certify they will not discriminate because of race or sex and will treat applicants and employees \u201cwithout regard to\u201d those categories.<\/p>\n<p>DOJ alleged Accenture Federal Services made that certification since 2017 while chasing internal workforce targets.<\/p>\n<p>Managers received monthly scorecards. Race and sex percentages were marked green, yellow, or red against non-public goals.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors said those colors shaped hiring, including an entry-level push in late 2020 and early 2021 aimed at racial targets.<\/p>\n<p>They also alleged extra visibility for promotion candidates who moved the demographic needle and a separate pipeline built for that purpose.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-09-14\/accenture-settles-with-justice-department-over-dei-policies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">program<\/a> called Amplify to Elevate, run from 2022 to 2025, reserved training and mentoring by race, the agency said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOpportunity and promotion in the workplace must be earned through merit,\u201d Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said. \u201cToday\u2019s resolution makes unmistakably clear that the Department will continue to aggressively pursue unconstitutional discriminatory employment practices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Accenture denied liability. A representative of the company said the firm cooperated and settled \u201cto avoid the costs and resource demands of prolonged litigation,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/government\/accenture-pay-25-million-settle-us-government-allegations-over-dei-2026-09-15\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reuters<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/small-business\/articles\/accenture-pays-25-million-settle-124632892.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yahoo Finance<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>The agreement includes civil penalties and interest.<\/p>\n<p>It is the third large contractor settlement in this lane. IBM <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/ibm-pays-17-million-resolve-allegations-discrimination-through-illegal-dei-practices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">paid<\/a> nearly $17.1 million in April. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/deloitte-agrees-pay-215m-resolve-alleged-employment-discrimination-violations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Deloitte<\/a> paid $21.5 million in August. Combined, the three deals now top $63 million.<\/p>\n<p>Accenture\u2019s federal arm sells technology and consulting to the same government that forbids the preferences it allegedly used.<\/p>\n<p>The company\u2019s public size is the point. A firm that large setting \u201cstealth\u201d composition goals, as one internal description put it in settlement papers, is not a boutique experiment.<\/p>\n<p>No court found liability. The check still cleared.<\/p>\n<p>DOJ framed the case as a warning to every contractor that still runs a dashboard by race and sex and then signs an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/labor-department-seeks-to-revoke-trump-era-expansion-of-religious-exemptions\/\" title=\"Labor Department Seeks To Revoke Trump-Era Expansion Of Religious Exemptions\">equal opportunity clause<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Merit, the department said, is the only legal color.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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