Two Minnesota residents arrested in massive multi-million dollar fraud scheme
By Easton Martin | May 28, 2026
Two Minnesota residents have been arrested by federal authorities for their alleged roles in a massive 21.1 million dollar Medicaid fraud scheme that exploited taxpayer-funded healthcare programs over a four-year period.
The United States Department of Homeland Security announced the arrests of Shamso Ahmed Hassan, 55, and Hanaan Mursal Yusuf, 25, both residents of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Federal prosecutors stated that Hassan was a beneficial owner of Smart Therapy Center LLC and Star Autism Center LLC. She operated as an enrolled provider and lead biller for the Minnesota Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention program, which is designed to provide medically necessary services to young people with autism spectrum disorder.
The indictment alleges that the defendants carried out a complex scheme between May 2020 and December 2024 by submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid for services that were never actually provided. To facilitate the operation, the individuals allegedly recruited parents to enroll children in their autism programs regardless of medical necessity and paid families monthly kickbacks ranging from 300 to 1,500 dollars.
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated that the multi-million dollar scheme began during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued for years. Bis emphasized that federal agencies will continue to target large-scale public program fraud within the state.
The arrests are part of a broader federal health care fraud takedown in Minnesota that recently resulted in charges against 15 defendants for a combined total of over 90 million dollars in fraudulent schemes. State data shows that expenditures for the autism intervention program have increased dramatically from 600,000 dollars a few years ago to over 400 million dollars.
Hassan and Yusuf face charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, eight counts of health care fraud, and two counts of money laundering. Hassan recently appeared in court and entered a plea of not guilty.
