US announces charges against 15 people in Minnesota over alleged $90m healthcare scheme
Assistant US attorney general claims services in state subject to ‘shocking’ levels of fraud, which he labels a ‘crisis’
TL;DR
- 15 people charged in Minnesota for defrauding a government healthcare program of $90 million.
- The fraud is described as a "crisis" by Assistant US attorney general Colin McDonald.
- An autism program's costs increased from $600,000 to over $400 million in six years.
- A housing assistance program for unhoused people rose in cost from $2.5 million annually to over $104 million in four years.
- This is the highest loss amount ever charged in a Medicaid case in Minnesota.
- This is the largest autism fraud scheme ever charged by the Department of Justice.
- The charges follow previous complaints from Trump about alleged fraud, some tinged with racist vitriol against the Somali community.
- The administration cited fraud as a reason for deploying ICE agents, which led to protests and deaths.
- 11 'strike force prosecutors' were deployed to Minnesota.
- JD Vance is in charge of a White House initiative to root out fraud nationwide.