The Minnesota False Claims Act
The Office of the Minnesota Attorney General (OAG) works to combat fraud against the government and protect taxpayer dollars through enforcement of the Minnesota False Claims Act (the FCA or the Act).
The FCA punishes individuals and companies that submit false or fraudulent claims to obtain (or avoid paying) money or property to the State or a local government. The Act provides for triple damages and penalties up to $27,018 for every false or fraudulent claim. The Act also allows private individuals to file cases, called qui tam lawsuits, under the FCA, and recover a portion of the proceeds in successful actions, subject to certain limitations.
Since the Act took effect in 2010, the OAG has investigated and prosecuted numerous individuals and companies that misled or defrauded the state or its agents to obtain government contracts or funds. The OAG receives referrals from federal and state agencies, members of the public and qui tam lawsuits, and works collaboratively with federal and state partners on many FCA cases.
Since the Act took effect in 2010, the OAG has recovered over $60 million in public funds from FCA enforcement work. FCA cases may include, but are not limited to:
- Medical professionals overbilling state health insurance programs for more services than provided, or a higher level of services than provided.
- Colleges falsely certifying that they are in compliance with the Higher Education Act and parallel state statutes to receive federal and state loan and grant dollars.
- Contractors failing to pay their workers federal and state prevailing wages as required by contracts to work on government funded construction projects.
- Manufacturers and distributors misrepresenting products’ characteristics or qualities to induce the government to purchase those products.
- Businesses and research institutions falsifying information on applications or progress reports to qualify for grants or contracts reserved for small or minority-owned businesses.
To report potential FCA fraud related to state or municipal contracts or funds, please complete and submit the OAG’s Consumer Assistance Request Form.
