Two Minnesota Women Charged in $21 Million Medicaid Autism Fraud Scheme

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Two women in Minnesota are accused of being involved in an enormous fraud scheme related to Minnesota’s autism Medicaid program. The two Minnesota residents allegedly submitted fraudulent claims totaling over $46 million and laundered $21 million of that amount, federal prosecutors stated.

According to court documents, Shamso Ahmed Hassan, 55, and Hanaan Mursal Yusuf, 25, conspired to commit fraud in connection with the EIDBI program from May 2020 through December 2024. According to the allegations, they submitted false Medicaid bills for non-existent services and provided those services using unqualified staff.

The women offered families a $300 to $1,500 monthly kickback to get their kids enrolled in the fraud scheme. The $21.1 million disbursed by Medicaid was then laundered through property purchases and transferred to Kenya via wire transfers.

The two residents named above are among 15 defendants who are involved in the largest ever bust of a fraud scheme related to an autism Medicaid program, which resulted in losses estimated at more than $90 million, according to prosecutors.

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Hanaan Yusuf and Shamso Hassan plead not guilty

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