Federal prosecutors say 13 defendants have been charged, convicted or sentenced in Minnesota benefits fraud cases since Sept. 30, in schemes they put at nearly $83 million in intended losses.
The Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota announced the cases Oct. 30. About $29.1 million of that total is in newly charged cases, according to the announcement. Prosecutors said they have issued more than 1,000 subpoenas and executed more than 40 premises warrants in Minnesota fraud investigations this year.
“These defendants stole money meant for the vulnerable, and they will be brought to justice,” U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said in a statement.
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An indictment, information or complaint is only an allegation. The defendants charged in these cases are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Among the newly charged, Habiba Mohamed, 58, of Coon Rapids, was charged Oct. 29 with conspiracy to defraud the United States in a $19.1 million scheme involving the state’s Medicaid autism therapy program, known as EIDBI. Prosecutors said she and co-conspirators who were charged earlier submitted fraudulent claims and that she paid kickbacks to the parents of Medicaid recipients.
Faiza Osman Ahmed, 41, of Richfield, was indicted Oct. 28 on six counts of health care fraud in a scheme of about $10 million across several Minnesota Medicaid programs. Prosecutors said she billed for services that were not provided, including services supposedly delivered to people in their homes while they were traveling.
Jama Yusuf Mohamod, 68, of Maple Grove, was indicted the same day on eight counts of health care fraud over about $3.2 million in claims to a Medicaid community supports program. Prosecutors said he billed for services not provided and used an AI tool to create fake patient notes.
Feisal Mohamed Elmi, 46, of New Brighton, was indicted Oct. 22 on 11 counts of health care fraud in an $8.2 million EIDBI scheme. Prosecutors said he billed for services while employees were outside the country and billed almost every claim at the same amount.
Emily Marice Ravits, 74, of Tucson, Arizona, was indicted Oct. 22 on conspiracy and false statement charges in a $7.7 million Medicaid scheme. Prosecutors said she was a Minnesota licensed clinical social worker who agreed to act as the required supervising professional for several autism therapy providers without doing the work.
Shaakir Mohamud Ibrahim, 54, of Pelican Rapids, was arrested Sept. 30 after nearly 10 months as a fugitive in Kenya. He was indicted Sept. 29 on wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering charges in a $1.1 million Feeding Our Future scheme. Prosecutors said he and others claimed to serve more than 3,000 children’s meals a day at each of two sites, in Pelican Rapids and Moorhead, and submitted fake meal counts.
Ahmed Abdul Razaq Al Obaidi, 49, of Blaine, and Muhammad Abdullah Kahn were charged by complaint Oct. 21 with unlawfully transferring SNAP benefits. Prosecutors said a tobacco store that Al Obaidi managed was identified as a location involved in cash trafficking of food benefits and that Kahn was a clerk there. Al Obaidi was arrested the same day.
Muna Wais Fidhin, 45, of Savage, was found guilty Oct. 21 of wire fraud, federal programs bribery and money laundering after a three-week jury trial. Prosecutors said she claimed her small Burnsville clinic café served 500 meals a day and later claimed more than 337,000 meals in nine months at a second site, drawing nearly $1 million in reimbursement. She is to be sentenced at a later date.
Nicole Lee Slegers, 48, and Shaun Hubert Slegers, 37, both of Arco, pleaded guilty Oct. 28 before U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors said Nicole Slegers, who worked at Southwest HHS, obtained at least 14 vehicles from the estates of dead Medicaid recipients by falsely saying they would be sold for the recipients’ accounts, gaining about $144,524.
Salim Ahmed Said, 37, of Plymouth, was sentenced Oct. 28 to 360 months, or 30 years, in prison by U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel for his role in the $250 million Feeding Our Future scheme. Prosecutors said he facilitated more than $44 million in fraud proceeds through his restaurant’s food site.
Said Farah, 44, of Minneapolis, was sentenced Oct. 30 to 78 months in prison and a $40,000 fine for bribing a juror. Prosecutors said he helped gather $200,000 in cash that was delivered to a juror’s home during the Feeding Our Future trial. The juror reported it right away.
Federal prosecutors also filed a civil forfeiture action Oct. 19 against three Minneapolis properties valued at about $519,000, which they said were bought with Feeding Our Future proceeds.
The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the HHS inspector general and other agencies took part in the investigations.
