25299.80.5. (a) A person who knowingly makes or causes to be made any false statement, material misrepresentation, or false certification in support of any claim under this chapter, including, but not limited to, in an application, record, report, certification, plan, invoice, form, or other document that is submitted, filed, or required to be maintained under this chapter for purposes of a claim, shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, or in the state prison for 16 months, two years, or three years, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(b) The Attorney General, upon request of the board, may bring an action in superior court to impose the criminal penalty specified in subdivision (a).
(c) Remedies under this section are in addition to, and do not supersede or limit, any other civil or criminal remedies.
(d) All funds collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the fund.
(e) The board shall file a complaint with any applicable licensing board against any person licensed or otherwise regulated by that licensing board who is convicted under this section.
(Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 547, Sec. 23. (SB 445) Effective September 25, 2014. Repealed as of January 1, 2026, pursuant to Section 25299.81.)