(j) Violations, penalties, etc.– (1) If a person is found by court of competent jurisdiction, pursuant to a claim initiated by a prosecuting authority, to have violated any provision of this section, the person shall be subject to civil penalties of not more than $5,000 for the first violation, $10,000 for the second violation and $15,000 for each subsequent violation. The penalty shall be paid to the prosecuting authority to be used to defray the operating expenses of investigating and prosecuting insurance fraud. The court may also award court costs and reasonable attorney fees to the prosecuting authority. (2) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit a prosecuting authority and the person accused of violating this section from entering into a written agreement in which that person does not admit or deny the charges but consents to payment of the civil penalty. A consent agreement may not be used in a subsequent civil or criminal proceeding, but notification thereof shall be made to the licensing authority if the person is licensed by a licensing authority of the Commonwealth so that the licensing authority may take appropriate administrative action. Penalties paid under this section shall be deposited into the Insurance Fraud Prevention Trust Fund created under the act of December 28, 1994 (P.L. 1414, No. 166), known as the Insurance Fraud Prevention Act. (3) The imposition of any fine or other remedy under this section shall not preclude prosecution for a violation of the criminal laws of this Commonwealth. (g) Civil action.–An insurer damaged as a result of a violation of this section may sue therefor in any court of competent jurisdiction to recover compensatory damages, which may include reasonable investigation expenses, costs of suit and attorney fees. An insurer may recover treble damages if the court determines that the defendant has engaged in a pattern of violating this section.