Trump officials tout $83 million in Minnesota fraud cases before vote

FBI Director Kash Patel pointed to charges tied to four arrests and 17 search warrants, CBS Minnesota reported. The FBI executed those warrants on Thursday, MPR News reported, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison confirmed the searches at two autism-therapy providers.

Most of the new cases involve Medicaid. Prosecutors charged three people over autism-therapy billing: Habiba Mohamed, 58, in a scheme the DOJ put at $19.1 million; Feisal Mohamed Elmi, 46, at $8.2 million; and Emily Marice Ravits, 74, at $7.7 million. Faiza Osman Ahmed, 41, is accused of about $10 million in fraud across home-care programs.

Jama Yusuf Mohamod, 68, is accused of a $3.2 million scheme in a community-support program, and prosecutors say he used an AI tool to create fake patient notes. Shaakir Mohamud Ibrahim, 54, charged in a $1.1 million Feeding Our Future child-meal case, was arrested Sept. 30 after about 10 months as a fugitive in Kenya, the DOJ said. Two men were charged with trafficking food-stamp (SNAP) benefits at a tobacco shop.

Ahmed, Elmi and Mohamod have pleaded not guilty, and Habiba Mohamed is expected to plead guilty Nov. 12, MPR News reported. The DOJ notes that an indictment "is merely an allegation."

The tally also counts older cases. Salim Ahmed Said was sentenced Oct. 28 to 30 years in prison in the $250 million Feeding Our Future scheme, and Said Farah got 78 months on Thursday for offering a juror a $200,000 cash bribe in that case.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a single online portal for fraud tips, replacing what he called "a maze of tip lines." Tips can earn up to $30,000 through the $25 million reward program the administration announced Oct. 20, CBS Minnesota reported. Treasury also said FinCEN, its financial-crimes unit, flagged more than $8 billion in possibly suspicious wire payments from 2021 to 2025 sent through US money-transfer businesses.

"Our nation's war on fraud started right here in Minnesota," Medicare and Medicaid chief Mehmet Oz said, according to MPR News. Vice President JD Vance had been expected but canceled.

The strongest case from the administration: the cases are real and large. More than 100 people have been charged in Minnesota fraud cases since 2022, MPR News reported, and in May prosecutors charged 15 people in what the DOJ called the largest Medicaid fraud takedown in state history. Bessent said the Walz administration "has been woefully negligent and turned a blind eye."

The strongest case from Walz's side: the timing. "Today's press conference offered no new information and amounted to a political spectacle just days before an election," the governor's office said.

Weak spot: Bessent suggested Walz was complicit in the fraud, but MPR News reported he offered no evidence for that claim.

What the evidence shows: Walz's office said the event had "no new information," but the DOJ release describes about $29.1 million in newly charged cases, and the 17 searches happened the day before, per MPR News.

Timeline: Since 2022, more than 100 people charged in Minnesota fraud cases (MPR). May 2026: 15 charged in the state's largest Medicaid fraud takedown (DOJ). Sept. 30: Ibrahim arrested after time as a fugitive in Kenya. Oct. 20: $25 million tip-reward program announced. Oct. 28: Said sentenced to 30 years. Oct. 29: FBI executes 17 search warrants. Oct. 30: St. Cloud announcement and tip portal.

What's still unknown: MPR News reported lower dollar amounts for three of the new cases (Elmi $2.8 million, Habiba Mohamed $14 million, Ahmed $8 million) than the DOJ release did, and it is not yet clear why. The DOJ release's web address still reads "uncover voter fraud," but its headline and text describe benefits fraud and list no voter-fraud case. MPR also reported that no one arrested in last winter's federal immigration surge in Minnesota has been charged with fraud.

Charges are allegations; every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Dollar figures for individual cases come from the Justice Department's Oct. 30 release; MPR News reported lower figures for three of them, and we have not been able to reconcile the difference. Bessent's suggestion that the Walz administration was complicit was made without evidence, MPR News reported. Sourcing: DOJ and Treasury releases are primary documents from the administration making the announcement. CBS Minnesota, MPR News and the Star Tribune are local outlets; Fox News (right-leaning) carried the event live.