A. Except as otherwise provided by § 18.2-498.3, a person shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor if, in the course of business, he:
1. Fraudulently obtains or retains certification as a small, women-owned, or minority-owned business;
2. Willfully makes a false statement knowing it to be untrue, whether by affidavit, report or other representation, to an official or employee of a public body for the purpose of influencing the certification or denial of certification of any business entity as a small, women-owned, or minority-owned business;
3. Willfully obstructs or impedes any agency official or employee who is investigating the qualifications of a business entity which has requested certification as a small, women-owned, or minority-owned business; or
4. Fraudulently obtains public moneys reserved for or allocated or available to small, women-owned, or minority-owned businesses.
B. For the purposes of this section, “minority-owned business,” and “small business” and “women-owned business” shall have the same meaning as those terms are defined in § 2.2-1604.
History
1987, c. 689; 1989, c. 570; 2006, cc. 831, 921; 2009, c. 869; 2013, c. 482; 2015, cc. 696, 697.