MM Curator summary
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[MM Curator Summary]: This one had lots of features, including a giant “services not provided” bill for personal care services and a check-cashing scheme.
Clipped from: https://www.twincities.com/2023/09/01/ellisons-office-has-charged-18-with-medicaid-fraud-that-netted-nearly-10-million/
Five people face charges in an alleged scheme to defraud the Minnesota Medical Assistance program of nearly $10 million.
The complaints filed in Hennepin County District Court allege owners and employees of a personal care company called MN Professional PCA billed for services that were not performed and for services that were not supervised by a nurse or other qualified professional.
Owners Abdikarim Mohamed and Ahmed Nur, along with three managers of MN Professional, are charged with racketeering, engaging in business of concealing criminal proceeds, and aiding and abetting theft by swindle.
The fraudulent activity is alleged to have occurred between 2016 and 2021.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called the case the largest Medicaid fraud prosecution by his office.
A total of 18 people have been charged as part of the ongoing investigation.
The complaint alleges the company billed Medicaid for more than 25,000 hours of services that were not provided.
The company also provided services not supervised by a professional to at least 120 clients.
The total alleged fraud is about $9.5 million, according to Ellison.
The complaint alleges the men concealed the fraudulent payments through an elaborate check-cashing scheme.
Investigators said Mohamed and Nur also fraudulently listed their wives as “board members” and “consultants” and paid them salaries amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
To date, 18 people have been charged as part of the investigation, and five have pleaded guilty.
The investigation was led by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the attorney general’s office and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.
The attorney general’s office said additional charges are expected as the investigation continues.