Trump officials tout charges, convictions tied to Minnesota social services fraud
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Top Trump administration officials on Friday highlighted their effort to prosecute public program fraud in Minnesota during a news conference in St. Cloud days before the midterm elections.
The FBI in Minneapolis executed 17 search warrants Thursday and charged four people who allegedly defrauded government programs, FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters. They include:
Faiza Osman Ahmed, 41, the owner of Home Sweet Home Health Care in Bloomington, is accused of stealing $8 million from three programs meant to help elderly and disabled people receive care at home.
Feisal Mohamed Elmi, 46, who owns Aspen Associates in Minneapolis, allegedly defrauded the state's autism program out of $2.8 million.
Jama Yusuf Mohamod, 68, is charged with defrauding Medicaid's Integrated Community Supports program out of $3.2 million through his Maple Grove company American Home Health Care.
“Our nation’s war on fraud started right here in Minnesota,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “The problems we identified here are not unique to Minnesota, but they are particularly evident in Minnesota.”
Oz also highlighted the case of Sharmaine Meadows of Lake Elmo, who was convicted on Oct. 7 of three counts of health care fraud tied to the Minnesota Medicaid Housing Stabilization Services Program that the Walz administration shut down last year. Oz vowed to “crush fraud and corruption here and nationwide.”
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Since 2022, state and federal prosecutors in Minnesota have charged more than 100 people with defrauding government social service programs with much of that work centered around the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.
The Trump administration cited fraud as justification for surging thousands of federal immigration agents into Minnesota last winter. However, no one arrested during the winter operation was charged with fraud.
While Friday’s news conference was an official White House event, Republicans have made fraud a focal point of political campaigns for state and federal offices in the run-up to Tuesday’s midterm election. Vice President JD Vance, who chairs the White House task force on fraud, was scheduled to attend but canceled late Thursday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blamed Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for the fraud, saying they were responsible for the lack of oversight and suggesting without evidence that Walz was complicit.
Walz’s office responded that the state has been fighting fraud for years. “Today’s press conference offered no new information and amounted to a political spectacle just days before an election,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
