The Justice Department charged two individuals in connection with an approximately $46.6 million scheme to defraud Minnesota’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention program, marking what the department said was the largest Medicaid autism fraud case ever charged.
Shamso Ahmed Hassan, 55, of Brooklyn Park, Minn., and Hanaan Mursal Yusuf, 25, of Brooklyn Park, Minn., were charged with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, healthcare fraud, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and to make false statements related to healthcare matters, and money laundering. The Justice Department said approximately $21.2 million was paid through the alleged scheme.
The EIDBI program is a publicly funded Minnesota healthcare program that provides medically necessary services to individuals younger than 21 with autism spectrum disorder, according to a May 21 department news release.
The Justice Department charged the defendants with paying “kickbacks to parents who brought their children to autism centers, diagnosed children with autism regardless of medical necessity and billed for autism services that were not provided.”
Minnesota became one of the first states to offer Medicaid coverage for EIDBI services in 2017. Claims tied to the program increased from more than $600,000 in 2018 to more than $400 million by 2025, the release said.
The broader Minnesota healthcare fraud “takedown” resulted in criminal charges against 15 defendants tied to more than $90 million in intended loss across multiple Medicaid and child care fraud schemes. The Justice Department also said it will expand its Health Care Fraud Section with 15 new trial attorney positions focused on Medicaid fraud investigations nationwide.
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