Mediation is scheduled for mid-June in the lawsuit against Tungsten Parts Wyoming filed by seven former employees. The former employees claim Tungsten’s chairman, Joseph Serov, of defamation and retaliation. According to the employees, they were fired and talked about poorly after refusing to engage in illegal activities while on the job and reporting others in the company for doing so.

The former employees claim that Serov misled customers into believing that products were made in the United States when they were not. According to the claims, the company purchased tungsten cubes, balls, and plates from Chinese companies and that this violated federal regulations.

Additional people have come forward since the lawsuit was filed to back up the claims. Serov is also accused of knowingly violating US International Traffic in Arms Regulations by the company’s former CEO, general manager, and more than one engineer.

Tungsten Parts Wyoming denies the allegations. Serov made counter-allegations against employees and accused them of stealing and destroying company property.

The situation further escalated when the seven plaintiffs involved in the original lawsuit added claims of whistleblower retaliation under the False Claims Act to their accusations. As a result, the company is now the subject of a criminal investigation being conducted by the United States Department of Defense. Clients for the company include Northrup Grumman, BAE Systems, and Lockheed Martin.

Tungsten Parts Wyoming was originally based in San Diego and temporarily operated out of both locations until Serov permanently moved to manufacture to Wyoming in 2017 after the state provided a $3 million grant to pay for the construction of a new plant.