Federal prosecutors announced criminal charges Thursday against 15 defendants accused of stealing more than $90 million from Minnesota Medicaid and social service programs. The announcement came during a press conference in Minneapolis attended by top Trump administration officials. Authorities described the schemes as systematic theft targeting vulnerable populations including children with autism and the homeless.
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald said the cases involved seven Minnesota-managed Medicaid programs that were “systematically pilfered by fraudsters” who treated public benefits “as their personal piggy bank.” One housing stabilization program grew from a projected $2.5 million annually in 2020 to more than $104 million by 2024 before the state shut it down in 2025. Prosecutors also highlighted an alleged autism fraud scheme they called the largest of its kind charged by the Justice Department.
