§ 1308–2 — Denial Of Program Benefits

(a) A person or legal entity shall be ineligible to receive payments specified in subsections (b) and (c) of section 1308 of this title for the crop year, and the succeeding crop year, in which the Secretary determines that the person or legal entity— (1) failed to comply with section 1308–1(b) of this title and adopted or participated in adopting a scheme or device to evade the application of section 1308, 1308–1, or 1308–3 of this title; or (2) intentionally concealed the interest of the person or legal entity in any farm or legal entity engaged in farming. (b) If the Secretary determines that a person or legal entity, for the benefit of the person or legal entity or the benefit of any other person or legal entity, has knowingly engaged in, or aided in the creation of a fraudulent document, failed to disclose material information relevant to the administration of sections 1308 through 1308–5 of this title, or committed other equally serious actions (as identified in regulations issued by the Secretary), the Secretary may for a period not to exceed 5 crop years deny the issuance of payments to the person or legal entity. (1) Payments otherwise owed to a person or legal entity described in subsections (a) or (b) shall be denied in a pro rata manner based on the ownership interest of the person or legal entity in a farm. (2) Payments otherwise payable to a person or legal entity shall be denied in a pro rata manner if the person or legal entity is a cash rent tenant on a farm owned or under the control of a person or legal entity with respect to which a determination has been made under subsection (a) or (b). (d) Any legal entity (including qualified pass-through entities) and any member of any legal entity determined to have knowingly participated in a scheme or device to evade, or that has the purpose of evading, sections 1308, 1308–1, or 1308–3 of this title shall be jointly and severally liable for any amounts that are payable to the Secretary as the result of the scheme or device (including amounts necessary to recover those amounts). (e) The Secretary may partially or fully release from liability any person or legal entity who cooperates with the Secretary in enforcing sections 1308, 1308–1, and 1308–3 of this title, and this section.