(1) A person violates the False Medicaid Claims Act and is subject to civil liability as provided in section 68-936 and damages as provided in subsection (2) of this section if he or she:

(a) Having submitted a claim or received payment for a good or service under the medical assistance program, knowingly fails to maintain such records as are necessary to disclose fully the nature of all goods or services for which a claim was submitted or payment was received, or such records as are necessary to disclose fully all income and expenditures upon which rates of payment were based, for a period of at least six years after the date on which payment was received; or

(b) Knowingly destroys such records within six years from the date payment was received.

(2) A person who knowingly fails to maintain records or who knowingly destroys records within six years from the date payment for a claim was received shall be subject to damages in the amount of three times the amount of the claim submitted for which records were knowingly not maintained or knowingly destroyed.

(3) If the state is the prevailing party in an action under this section, the defendant, in addition to penalties and damages, shall pay the state’s costs and attorney‘s fees for the civil action brought to recover penalties or damages under the act.