Salem Company Agrees To Pay $3.5 Million For Undelivered Masks

SALEM, MA — A Salem-based company that failed to deliver on 1 million N95 masks promised to the state at the onset of the coronavirus health crisis agreed to a $3.5 million settlement in refunds to the Commonwealth.

Attorney General Maura Healey's office said Bedrock Group LLC agreed in April 2020 to supply the masks, but wound up delivering less than 100,000 of the masks intended for health care workers before the state terminated the contract for non-compliance in June.

The AG's Office said the company claimed it had a reputable manufacturer in China where it could obtain the masks.

The state had spent nearly a year trying to recoup the money it paid Bedrock in advance.

"This company tried to take advantage of the state by holding onto millions of taxpayer dollars it owed for masks that it never delivered," Healey said in a statement.

According to an Associated Press report, Bedrock did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, saying it was misled by the Chinese distributor.

"Bedrock was confronted with demands for additional fees well outside their agreement with their Chinese supplier," company officer Jonathan Roth said in a statement to the AP.

Did you find this article useful? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)