UMVA has learned that a massive indictment has been brought against two Minnesota defendants in what authorities are calling the largest autism fraud bust in American history.
The U.S. Department of Justice has charged 55-year-old Shamso Ahmed Hassan and 25-year-old Hanaan Mursal Yusuf with numerous counts of fraud and related charges for their alleged $46.6 million scheme to defraud Minnesota Medicaid's Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Program.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the indictment was part of a wider enforcement action taken by the DOJ's National Fraud Enforcement Division that resulted in the indictment of 15 alleged fraudsters for schemes targeting over $90 million in taxpayer funds.
"Today's arrests represent the largest autism fraud bust in American history," HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a news conference. "This was not a paperwork error. It was not a technical violation. This was organized theft that exploited the most vulnerable children in America, deceived families, stole taxpayer dollars meant to help children with autism access legitimate care and support."
Hassan, a shareholder in two autism centers, Smart Therapy Center and Star Autism Center, allegedly failed to disclose her ownership to the Minnesota Department of Human Services as required by law. Yusuf, who worked at the Smart Therapy Center, helped operate the center and submitted claims for Medicaid reimbursement.
The pair allegedly paid kickbacks to families to incentivize them to send their children to the centers, then billed Medicaid for services that were not rendered or were not reimbursable. Of the $46.6 million they filed for reimbursement, $21.6 million was paid out, and the DOJ is seeking restitution for that money.
The indictment alleges that the pair diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars of the fraud proceeds to their families' personal use and benefit, including through real property purchases and transferring funds overseas.
The defendants were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and one count of money laundering. Yusuf was charged with five counts of healthcare fraud, while Hassan was charged with two.
"Every fraudulent autism diagnosis steals time, care, and resources from the children for whom this program was designed and who desperately need this care," Kennedy Jr. said. "Families with autistic children already face enormous challenges navigating therapies, specialists, and support systems. Fraud makes those barriers even steeper."
