The state of Montana filed a civil lawsuit against a former state accountant and her husband's maintenance business Wednesday, seeking to recover more than $739,000 the state alleged was paid to the company for work that was not performed.

''We are finally beginning the process of recovering every single dollar that's been stolen from Montana taxpayers,'' said Sheryl Olson, deputy director of the Department of Administration. ''We filed this case to help us turn over every stone to help us recover all that money, plus interest.''

The state alleges Susan Campbell, a former accountant in the Facilities Management Bureau, occasionally issued or caused others to issue duplicate payments to Jack's Technical Assistance Inc., owned by Jack Campbell.

JTA had yearly contracts to maintain heating, ventilation and air conditioning at the Capitol complex beginning in 2000 and ending in October 2006. The final contract was worth $872,581.

The lawsuit also alleges Susan Campbell continued to issue payments to JTA after the company's state contract ended. Those alleged payments led to the state investigation.

Susan Campbell was fired in June 2007 after an investigation into the misappropriation of state money. At the time, a state lawyer said the missing money totaled about $70,000.

Campbell had worked for the state since 1975 and was earning about $45,000 a year.

The civil lawsuit was filed in District Court in Helena. The federal government is still putting together its criminal case, Olson said.

A phone call to the Campbell residence rang unanswered Wednesday afternoon.