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The Department of Justice went after a tech services company that sought white-only appllicants in a job ad.

A Virginia tech services company will pay nearly $40,000 in penaties and compensation in a settlement with the Departments of Justice and Labor for a job ad last year that sought white applicants only.

Arthur Grand Technologies sparked national headlines after a job posting in two months in 2023 that called for "only US Born Citizens [white]" and those living within 60 miles of Dallas, Texas, to apply for a business analyst position.

The company denied approving the ad. It claimed the ad was posted by a "disgruntled recruiter in India" who intended to "embarrass" the company, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The DOJ determined the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act when it requested only candidates born in the U.S.

It also found that the tech company violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

"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," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ'sCivil Rights Division said in a statement.

"The Justice Department ... will continue to hold employers accountable when they violate our nation's federal civil rights laws, Clarke added.

The company will pay a $7,500 civil penalty in its settlement with the Department of Justice, and will pay an additional $31,000 in an agreement with the Labor Department to compensate those who filed complaints 

- with reporting by TMX