A Virginia information technology services company caught flak last year for a racist, xenophobic job posting. Now, the Department of Justice is coming for the company’s pocketbook.
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According to NPR, Arthur Grand Technologies Inc. posted an online ad for a business analyst position in March 2023 which read literally, “Only US Born Citizens [white] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas, TX [Don’t share with candidates].”
The DOJ ruled the job listing was a violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act and settled with Arthur Grand Technologies for $7,500 and a total of $31,000 to 31 people who complained about the posting.
In an announcement of the agreement, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division criticized the company for discriminating against potential candidates of color.
“It is shameful that in the 21st century, we continue to see employers using ‘whites only’ and ‘only US-born’ job postings to lock out otherwise eligible job candidates of color,” she said.
According to the agreement, Arthur Grand Technologies “neither admits nor denies any violation.” But company CEO Sheik Rahmathullah blamed the discriminatory post on a disgruntled former employee in a statement on the case, writing:
“Arthur Grand Technologies vehemently denies any guilt or wrongdoing in relation to the discriminatory job posting that appeared in March 2023,” he wrote. “This unauthorized posting was made by an upset employee on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) from their personal email address and account. Upon discovering this, we took immediate and decisive action to ensure that this type of incident will never happen again, including the immediate termination of the responsible employee.”
Rahmathullah also apologized to those who were offended by the post.
“We sincerely apologize for any harm caused by this incident and are committed to making meaningful changes to maintain the trust and confidence of our community and stakeholders,” he added.
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