US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

 
    * § 7-803. False claims. a. Any person who:
    1.  knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, to any city officer
  or employee, a false claim for payment or approval by the city;
    2. knowingly makes, uses, or causes to be made or used, a false record
  or statement to get a false claim paid or approved by the city;
    3. conspires to defraud the city by getting a false claim  allowed  or
  paid by the city;
    4.  has  possession, custody, or control of property or money used, or
  to be used, directly or  indirectly,  by  the  city  and,  intending  to
  defraud  the  city or willfully conceal the property or money, delivers,
  or causes to be delivered, less property or money than  the  amount  for
  which the person receives a certificate or receipt;
    5.  is  authorized to make or deliver a document certifying receipt of
  property used, or to be used, directly or indirectly, by the  city  and,
  intending  to  defraud  the  city, makes or delivers the receipt without
  completely knowing that the information on the receipt is true;
    6. knowingly buys, or receives as a pledge of an obligation  or  debt,
  public  property  from  an  officer or employee of the city knowing that
  such officer or employee lawfully may not sell or pledge  the  property;
  or
    7. knowingly makes, uses, or causes to be made or used, a false record
  or  statement to conceal, avoid, or decrease, directly or indirectly, an
  obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the city;
    shall be liable to the city for three  times  the  amount  of  damages
  which the city sustains because of the act or acts of such person, and a
  civil  penalty of between five thousand and fifteen thousand dollars for
  each violation of this  section,  except  that  any  party  to  a  civil
  enforcement  action  commenced  may request the court to assess, and the
  court may agree to so assess, not more than  two  times  the  amount  of
  damages  sustained  because  of the act or acts of such person if all of
  the following circumstances are found:
    (i) The person committing the  violation  of  section  7-803  of  this
  chapter  had  furnished  all information known to such person about such
  act or acts  to  (a)  the  commissioner  of  investigation  or  (b)  the
  corporation  counsel  or  a  city  agency  head,  who  shall  refer such
  information to the commissioner of investigation, and has furnished such
  information within thirty days of the date on which  such  person  first
  obtained the information;
    (ii) such person fully cooperated with any government investigation of
  such violation; and
    (iii)  at  the  time  such  person  furnished  information  about  the
  violation, no criminal or civil action or proceeding, or  administrative
  action  had commenced with respect to such violation, and the person did
  not have actual knowledge of the existence of an investigation into such
  violation.
    b. A person who violates this section shall also  be  liable  for  the
  costs,  expenses  and  attorneys' fees of a civil enforcement action and
  for the cost of the city's investigation.
    * NB Repealed June 1, 2012