Washington (CNN) A company owned by the in-laws of the number two Republican in the House of Representatives landed millions in government contracts based on a "dubious claim" of Native American heritage, according to an investigation by The Los Angeles Times.

The paper reported that William Wages, brother-in-law of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, avoided facing competitive bids for millions in federal contracts -- almost entirely before McCarthy was elected to federal office -- because the Small Business Administration accepted Wages' claim that he is Cherokee Indian. The company was able to secure contracts that are set aside for economically and socially disadvantaged minority groups, the Times said.

The investigation said it did not find any evidence that McCarthy had done anything to steer the contracts to Wages. The report notes that Wages' participation in the program ended in 2007, the year McCarthy first came to Congress.

McCarthy's mother-in-law co-owns the company, Vortex Construction, which also employs McCarthy's father-in-law and sister-in-law.

Citing government and tribal records along with a Cherokee genealogist, the report took issue with Wages' claim of one-eighth Cherokee heritage. It said Wages is a member of the Northern Cherokee Nation, which the report said tribal leaders with federal recognition consider a fraud.

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