Minnesota fraud suspect Abdirashid Said charged with stealing $11M skips court date
A man accused of orchestrating an $11 million Medicaid fraud scheme in Minnesota missed a scheduled court appearance, leading to a warrant for his arrest. Abdirashid Ismail Said, 50, did not show up for a pretrial hearing in Hennepin County, forfeiting his bond. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office is now working with federal authorities to locate Said and ensure he faces justice for the fraud he committed.
Said had posted a $150,000 unconditional bond to avoid stricter conditions like surrendering his passport. Prosecutors charged him with racketeering and multiple counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle in an alleged scheme that defrauded Minnesota’s Medicaid program of nearly $11 million. The complaint alleges that Said operated multiple Medicaid-funded home health care agencies secretly, despite being prohibited from working with such programs due to a prior fraud conviction.
The scheme involved billing Medicaid for services that were never provided, improperly recorded, or backed by fake paperwork. Millions of dollars in fraudulent billing were discovered, including over $4.6 million paid to one agency based on falsified documentation. Additionally, nearly $1 million was billed for clients who denied receiving services, and over $300,000 in overbilling was found.
Said was convicted of Medicaid fraud in 2022 and ordered to pay $77,000, with a restriction from working with any Medicaid-funded agency. However, prosecutors allege that he violated this restriction. This case has raised concerns about oversight of taxpayer-funded programs, with state leaders facing criticism over their handling of fraud in Minnesota.
The situation comes amidst broader concerns about fraud in Minnesota, including the Feeding Our Future case where defendants allegedly created fake meal programs and fraudulently claimed over $250 million in federal funds. Former acting US Attorney Joe Thompson has suggested that fraud across some programs could total billions of dollars, potentially reaching $9 billion.
State officials have been under scrutiny for oversight of taxpayer-funded programs, with ongoing questions about fraud cases involving Medicaid and welfare spending. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office has prosecuted multiple fraud cases, prompting Attorney General Keith Ellison to address concerns about enforcement and oversight before Congress earlier this year.
