§ 446-h. Violations. 1. Misdemeanors. Any person, firm or corporation violating any provision of this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. The commission of a single act prohibited by this article shall constitute a violation hereof.

2. Criminal actions for violations of this article shall be prosecuted by the attorney general, or his deputy, in the name of the people of the state, and in any such prosecution the attorney general, or his deputy, shall exercise all the powers and perform all the duties which the district attorney would otherwise be authorized to exercise or to perform therein. The attorney general shall, upon a conviction for a violation of any provision of this article, and within ten days thereafter, make and file with the secretary a detailed report showing the date of such conviction, the name of the person convicted and the exact nature of the charge.

3. In case the offender shall have received any sum of money as compensation or profit by or in consequence of his violation of any provision of this article, he shall also be liable to a penalty of not less than the amount of the sum of money received by him as such compensation or profit and not more than four times the sum so received by him, as may be determined by the court, which penalty may be sued for and recovered by any person aggrieved and for his use and benefit, in any court of competent jurisdiction.

4. The secretary shall have the power to enforce the provisions of this article and upon complaint of any person, or on his own initiative, to investigate the business, business practices and business methods of any person, firm or corporation applying for or holding a license as an apartment information vendor, if in his opinion such investigation is warranted. Each such applicant or licensee shall be obliged, on request of the secretary to supply such information as may be required concerning his or its business, business practices or business methods, or proposed business practices or methods.

5. For the purpose of enforcing the provisions of this article and in making investigations relating to any violation thereof, and for the purpose of investigating the character, competency and integrity of the applicants or licensees hereunder, and for the purpose of investigating the business, business practices and business methods of any applicant or licensee, or of the officers or agents thereof, the secretary shall have the power to subpoena and bring before the officer or person so designated any person in this state and require the production of any books or papers which he deems relevant to the inquiry and administer an oath to and take testimony of any person or cause his deposition to be taken with the same fees and mileage and in the same manner as prescribed by law for civil cases in a court of record, except that any applicant or licensee or officer or agent thereof shall not be entitled to such fees and/or mileage. Any person, duly subpoenaed, who fails to obey such subpoena without reasonable cause or without such cause refuses to be examined or to answer any legal or pertinent question as to the character or qualification of such applicant or licensee or such applicant's or licensee's business, business practices and methods or such violations, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

6. In any criminal proceeding before any court, magistrate or grand jury, or upon any investigation before the department of state for a violation of any of the provisions of this section, the court, magistrate or grand jury, or the secretary of state, his deputy or other officer conducting the investigation, may confer immunity, in accordance with the provisions of the criminal procedure law.