Swansenreport

RFK Jr. Calls It ‘Largest Autism Fraud Bust in American History’ — $90 Million Minnesota Takedown Nets 15 Defendants

The Department of Justice announced what federal officials are calling the largest autism fraud enforcement action in American history last week, charging 15 defendants in multiple Minnesota schemes that allegedly drained more than $90 million from taxpayer-funded programs — with two women at the center of the largest single case already in custody.

Shamso Ahmed Hassan, 55, and Hanaan Mursal Yusuf, 25, both of Brooklyn Park, were arrested by Homeland Security Investigations on charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, eight counts of health care fraud, and two counts of money laundering. Federal prosecutors allege they submitted $46.6 million in fraudulent claims to Minnesota’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention program — a Medicaid-funded service for children with autism — and received approximately $21.1 million in reimbursements for services that were never provided. Townhall

Hassan was the beneficial owner of Smart Therapy Center LLC and Star Autism Center LLC but concealed her ownership from the Minnesota Department of Human Services as required by law. Yusuf worked as a provider and was heavily involved in submitting the centers’ claims for Medicaid reimbursement. Together, prosecutors allege, they paid kickbacks of $300 to $1,500 per month to parents to enroll their children at the centers — so they could then bill Medicaid for autism therapy sessions that never occurred. AOL

Court documents revealed an additional layer connecting this case directly to the Feeding Our Future scandal: between 2020 and 2021, Hassan also used Smart Therapy Center to submit fraudulent claims to the Feeding Our Future child nutrition program, claiming to have served nearly 200,000 meals to children and receiving approximately $465,000 for meals that were never served. She also sent hundreds of thousands of dollars abroad and purchased real estate in Kenya using fraud proceeds. Oduu

HHS Secretary RFK Jr. was present at the May 21 press conference in Minneapolis and called it “the largest autism fraud bust in American history.” He said: “This was not a paperwork error. It was not a technical violation. This was organized theft that exploited the most vulnerable children in America, deceived families, stole taxpayer dollars meant to help children with autism access legitimate care.” The DOJ simultaneously announced the addition of 15 new federal prosecutors dedicated solely to Medicaid fraud investigations nationwide. News Directory 3

The broader sweep charged defendants in schemes involving housing stabilization services, community supports, individualized home supports, and childcare reimbursement programs — all state-administered Medicaid programs that have been prime targets for organized fraud in Minnesota. The number of EIDBI autism providers in Minnesota alone increased 700 percent in five years, from 41 providers in 2018 to more than 300 in 2023 — a surge that DHS says it currently has 84 open fraud cases investigating. The Daily Caller

This story connects every thread Swansenreport has been pulling on for months: the Feeding Our Future conviction, the Walz whistleblower testimony, the blocked Ilhan Omar subpoena, the Treasury IRS bank audits, the Medicaid freezes. The fraud didn’t stop with Aimee Bock’s sentencing. The investigators are still finding new cases, new programs, and new defendants — and the money keeps leading to the same place.

Sources: DOJ Press Release — Minnesota Health Care Fraud Takedown | DHS / HSI Announcement | DOJ Criminal Division Case Summaries | Fox News | Daily Wire | Star Tribune / AOLRFK