Di Justice Department don announce criminal charges against 15 pipu for Minnesota wey dem accuse of defrauding Medicaid and oda state-run social services programs of more dan $90 million.
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald tok during press conference for Minneapolis say, “Di fraud here for Minnesota na shocking. Dis one no be di end of our work.”
Top officials like Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz join McDonald for Minneapolis to announce di charges.
According to McDonald, di defendants dey accused of defrauding programs wey supposed to provide housing and meals for those wey need am, as well as services for disabled pipu and autistic children.
McDonald say di defendants allegedly “pay kickbacks to parents wey bring dia children to autism centers, diagnose children with autism regardless of medical necessity, and bill for autism services wey never actually provide.”
Kennedy describe di scheme as “organized theft wey exploit di most vulnerable children for America, deceive families, steal taxpayer dollars wey mean to help children with autism access legitimate care and support.”
“We no go allow criminals to treat children as billing opportunities while American taxpayers foot di bill,” Kennedy add.
For oda alleged schemes, prosecutors say defendants file fraudulent claims to Medicaid and oda bogus claims for services wey never provide.
McDonald say di charges announced Thursday “include di highest loss amount ever charged for a Medicaid case for Minnesota, and di largest autism fraud scheme ever charged by di Department of Justice.”
Di announcement coincide with di sentencing of Aimee Bock, di former leader of a Minnesota nonprofit wey dem convict for a $250 million fraud case wey dem deem di nation’s “single largest COVID-19 fraud scheme.”
Bock’s case and many oda overlapping fraud cases, some involving members of Minnesota’s Somali community, dem initially use by President Donald Trump and im administration to justify di launch of a large-scale immigration operation for di state wey last nearly three months.
Still, di federal government remain focused on rooting out alleged fraud for Minnesota. For March, di White House launch a nationwide initiative wey Vice President JD Vance chair to combat fraud.
Since den, di Trump administration don halt some Medicaid funding for Minnesota and freeze Medicare enrollments for some hospice and home health care agencies, according to KARE 11, NBC‘s affiliate for Minneapolis.
McDonald say di DOJ also plan to expand its Health Care Fraud Strike Force operation for di Midwest with 15 additional prosecutors wey go focus on combating Medicaid fraud for Minnesota as well as nationwide.
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