Agility enters plea on U.S. fraud case

Agility enters plea on U.S. fraud case    Kuwait-based logistics company Agility entered a plea of not guilty Monday in a federal court in Atlanta over allegations of fraud by the U.S. Justice Department.
   Agility said it is pressing forward with negotiations to settle the case out of court. The U.S. government indicted Agility (formerly known as Public Warehousing Co., or PWC), in November for allegedly overcharging the U.S. Defense Department by more than $60 million for food logistics and other services it provided soldiers in the Middle East.
   The case revolves around $8.5 billion worth of contracts that Agility, the principle food logistics contractor to the U.S. military in the Middle East, secured over three years.
   “The company is in active negotiations and we hope this can be resolved,” said Richard Deane, one of Agility's attorneys in the case, at the hearing Monday, as reported by Reuters.
   Reports from the Middle East suggest the company is preparing for a settlement of $500 million or more, Bloomberg reported.