ST. PAUL — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a whistle blower lawsuit against the landlord and property management company of several Rochester apartment complexes, the AG’s office announced in a press release.
A complaint from the AG's office was filed in Hennepin County District Court on Thursday, Aug. 14, against Monarch Investment and Management Group, LLC, and 17 of its affiliated companies. The company’s website lists six Rochester properties, including The Gates, Heritage Manor, the Olympik Village Apartments, Crystal Bay, French Creek and the Winchester apartments. The office joins a suit brought by two former tenants of Monarch managed properties.
The lawsuit alleges that the company violated the Minnesota False Claims Act by submitting $259,000 worth of false and fraudulent claims to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency in connection with the RentHelpMN program between 2021 and 2022, the AG’s press release states.
Ellison is “seeking treble damages” under the Minnesota False Claims Act, or three times the $259,000 that the company and its affiliates collected through their “fraudulent claims,” the release said. It is also pursuing civil claims and other fees.
Ellison claimed that Monarch “profiteered during the COVID-19 pandemic on the backs of vulnerable tenants,” the release said.
“They broke their promise to the people of Minnesota, harmed the people they tried to evict, and defrauded the State of Minnesota,” Ellison’s statement read.
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