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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>65173</law_id><section_number>18.2-213.1</section_number><catch_line>Obtaining certification as small, women-owned, or minority-owned business by deception; penalty</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="18.2">Crimes and Offenses Generally</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="6">Crimes Involving Fraud</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="7">Miscellaneous False and Fraudulent Acts</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Except as otherwise provided by &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Misrepresentations prohibited" href="/18.2-498.3/">18.2-498.3</a>, a person shall be guilty of a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span> if, in the course of business, he: <a id="paragraph-237058" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-213.1/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> Fraudulently obtains or retains certification as a small, women-owned, or minority-owned business; <a id="paragraph-237059" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-213.1/#A1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> Willfully makes a false statement knowing it to be untrue, whether by <span class="dictionary">affidavit</span>, 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; <a id="paragraph-237060" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-213.1/#A2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A3" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">3.</span> 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 <a id="paragraph-237061" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-213.1/#A3"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A4" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">4.</span> Fraudulently obtains public moneys reserved for or allocated or available to small, women-owned, or minority-owned businesses. <a id="paragraph-237062" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-213.1/#A4"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> For the purposes of this section, &#x201C;minority-owned business,&#x201D; and &#x201C;small business&#x201D; and &#x201C;women-owned business&#x201D; shall have the same meaning as those terms are defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/2.2-1604/">2.2-1604</a>. <a id="paragraph-237063" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-213.1/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1987, c. 689; 1989, c. 570; 2006, cc. 831, 921; 2009, c. 869; 2013, c. 482; 2015, cc. 696, 697.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
