By Brent Kendall Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Accenture PLC (ACN) has agreed to pay $63.7 million to settle allegations that it received kickbacks in exchange for recommending that federal government agencies purchase certain technology products, the Justice Department announced Monday. The department said Accenture, a computer outsourcing and consulting firm, caused false claims to be submitted under "numerous" information-technology contracts with U.S. government agencies. The agreement is the latest in a series of settlements involving false claims under government technology contracts. Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) and data storage equipment maker EMC Corp. (EMC) are among those who have settled allegations that they paid kickbacks to consulting companies in return for recommendations that federal government agencies purchase their products. -By Brent Kendall, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9222; brent.kendall@dowjones.com
