Federal authorities have charged six additional individuals in connection with ongoing fraud schemes targeting Minnesota’s Medicaid programs, including those intended to serve children with autism and people needing housing support. One defendant has pleaded guilty in the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Autism scheme, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
In the EIDBI Autism fraud case, Abdinajib Hassan Yussuf, 27, faces one count of wire fraud. Prosecutors allege that Yussuf, as President and CEO of Star Autism Center LLC, led a scheme between late 2020 and December 2024 to defraud the EIDBI program by employing unqualified individuals as behavioral technicians and recruiting children from the Somali community under questionable circumstances. The indictment states that parents were offered monthly cash kickbacks based on the amount of services authorized for their children.
The government alleges that Yussuf and his associates submitted millions of dollars in fraudulent Medicaid claims for services not rendered or billed without provider knowledge. According to prosecutors, these actions resulted in Star Autism obtaining over $6 million in reimbursement funds from Minnesota DHS and UCare. Yussuf is accused of using proceeds from the scheme for personal purchases, including a semi-truck and sending more than $200,000 abroad.
In September 2025, Asha Farhan Hassan was charged with wire fraud related to a $14 million autism scheme as well as participation in the Feeding Our Future fraud case. She pleaded guilty before United States District Judge David Doty and will be sentenced at a later date.
Authorities also brought charges against Anthony Waddell Jefferson and Lester Brown for allegedly defrauding Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) Program. Despite living in Philadelphia with no local ties, they registered companies in Minnesota to act as HSS providers but are accused of fabricating documentation and submitting approximately $3.5 million in false claims for about 230 beneficiaries.
Additional indictments were filed against Hassan Ahmed Hussein and Ahmed Abdirashid Mohamed, who operated Pristine Health LLC in St. Paul. They allegedly collaborated with other entities to create fake paperwork supporting inflated claims totaling about $750,000 while spending proceeds on travel abroad.
Kaamil Omar Sallah was charged with four counts of wire fraud connected to SafeLodgings Inc., which he owned. Sallah is alleged to have submitted double-billed claims totaling nearly $1.3 million between March 2023 and August 2025 before fleeing the country after being served a subpoena.
A search warrant was unsealed regarding Ultimate Home Health Services LLC’s involvement in potential fraud within the Integrated Community Supports (ICS) program—another Medicaid benefit designed for independent living assistance—which has seen rapid cost increases since its inception in 2021.
Federal agencies involved in these investigations include the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and United States Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Daniel W. Bobier, Harry M. Jacobs, Rebecca E. Kline, and Matthew Murphy are prosecuting these cases.
"Informations and Indictments are merely allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
