Jonathan Fahey discusses DOJ's $90M Minnesota fraud ring bust
Jonathan Fahey, former DHS deputy assistant secretary, discusses the Department of Justice's $90 million Medicaid fraud bust in Minnesota.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the indictment of two Minnesota defendants charged in what officials called the "largest autism fraud bust in American history."
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted 55-year-old Shamso Ahmed Hassan and 25-year-old Hanaan Mursal Yusuf, slapping them with numerous counts of fraud and related charges for their alleged $46.6 million scheme to defraud Minnesota Medicaid’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Program.
The indictment was part of a wider enforcement action taken by the DOJ's National Fraud Enforcement Division that swept up 15 alleged fraudsters in indictments for schemes that targeted over $90 million in taxpayer funds.
"Today's arrests represent the largest autism fraud bust in American history. 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 and support," Kennedy Jr. said at a news conference Friday.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., speaks to the media about alleged Medicaid fraud and charges that were brought against 15 individuals at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis May 21, 2026. (Christopher Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Hassan was a shareholder in two autism centers, Smart Therapy Center and Star Autism Center, but she did not disclose her ownership to the Minnesota Department of Human Services as required by law, prosecutors said. Yusuf worked at the Smart Therapy Center and helped operate the center, including by submitting the businesses' claims for Medicaid reimbursement, according to the indictment.
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The pair allegedly paid kickbacks to families to incentivize them to send their children to Smart Therapy Center and Star Autism Center so they could bill for autism-related services in their children’s names. They then billed Medicaid for services that were not rendered or were not reimbursable by Medicaid, according to the indictment.
Of the $46.6 million they filed for reimbursement, $21.6 million was paid out, according to the indictment. The DOJ is seeking restitution for that money.
Colin McDonald, assistant attorney general for the National Fraud Enforcement Division, addresses the media to announce actions combating fraud in Minnesota at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota on May 21, 2026, in Minneapolis. (David Berding/Getty Images)
The pair "diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars of the fraud proceeds" to "their families' personal use and benefit, including through real property purchases and transferring funds overseas, including to Kenya," according to the indictment.
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The defendants were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and one count of money laundering. Yusuf was charged with five counts of healthcare fraud, while Hassan was charged with two.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addresses the media to announce actions combating fraud in Minnesota at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota on May 21, 2026, in Minneapolis. (David Berding/Getty Images)
"Every fraudulent autism diagnosis steals time, care and resources from the children for whom this program was designed and who desperately need this care. Families with autistic children already face enormous challenges navigating therapies, specialists and support systems. Fraud makes those barriers even steeper," Kennedy Jr. said in the announcement.
