Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a complaint against landlord and property-management company Monarch Investment and Management Group, LLC and 17 of its affiliated companies that own and operate more than a dozen rental properties in Minnesota, primarily in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro area and Rochester. In the complaint, Attorney General Ellison alleges that the defendants 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. Attorney General Ellison is seeking treble damages under the Minnesota False Claims Act, meaning three times the $259,000 that the defendants collected through their fraudulent claims, as well as civil penalties, costs, and fees.

“It’s reprehensible that Monarch Investments and related companies profiteered during the COVID-19 pandemic on the backs of vulnerable tenants. They broke their promise to the people of Minnesota, harmed the people they tried to evict, and defrauded the State of Minnesota. On top of that, they also charged tenants fees that were excessive, deceptive, and downright illegal. I’m taking them to court to hold them accountable for this rampant illegality — and let this complaint be a warning to any landlord or property manager who thinks of doing something similar that we will hold them accountable, too.” – AG Ellison