Six charged as Minnesota Medicaid probes expand
Six people have been charged as federal investigations into Minnesota’s multibillion‑dollar Medicaid and human‑services programs expand, prompting Attorney General Pam Bondi to send a dedicated team of additional DOJ prosecutors to bolster the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Officials say the move responds to suspected widespread, complex financial fraud—Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson estimates losses in 14 vulnerable programs since 2018 could exceed $9 billion—and federal authorities vow “severe consequences” as they pursue broader cases beyond the initial indictments.
📌 Key Facts
- Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed the Department of Justice to send an additional, dedicated team of federal prosecutors to Minnesota to reinforce the U.S. Attorney’s Office on fraud cases.
- Bondi and DOJ say the deployment responds to suspected widespread, large-scale fraud in Minnesota’s Medicaid and related human‑services programs and have vowed “severe consequences” for offenders.
- The added prosecutors will focus on complex financial cases tied to Minnesota’s human‑services programs, expanding investigations beyond the six initial indictments previously reported.
- Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson estimates that fraud across 14 “vulnerable” Medicaid programs since 2018 could exceed $9 billion when fully uncovered, and says the relatively small Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office is uncovering new $50 million fraud schemes on a daily basis.
- The surge in prosecutors is linked to a broader federal posture in Minnesota that also includes a 2,000+‑agent ICE/Homeland Security immigration operation described as the “largest ever,” which officials say is aimed in part at fraud.
📊 Relevant Data
Somali Minnesotans make up approximately 1.5% of the state's population but are involved in a disproportionate number of public benefits fraud cases, with 85% of indictments from 2018-2025 involving Somali defendants according to a longitudinal study.
The poverty rate among Somali immigrants in Minnesota is 54%, compared to 9.3% for the overall state population, contributing to higher eligibility and potential involvement in welfare programs.
Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — Center for Immigration Studies
Most defendants in Minnesota's fraud cases, including the Feeding Our Future scandal, are Somali immigrants or their descendants, with federal prosecutors charging dozens in schemes exceeding $250 million.
How Fraud Swamped Minnesota's Social Services System on Tim Walz's Watch — The New York Times
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly announced she is sending an additional team of DOJ prosecutors to Minnesota to reinforce the U.S. Attorney’s Office in fraud cases.
- Bondi explicitly framed the move as a response to the scale of suspected fraud in Minnesota’s Medicaid and related programs and vowed 'severe consequences' for offenders.
- The article emphasizes that the added prosecutors will focus on complex financial cases tied to Minnesota’s human‑services programs, building on but going beyond the six initial indictments previously reported.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed DOJ to dispatch a dedicated team of additional federal prosecutors to Minnesota to reinforce the U.S. Attorney’s Office in fraud cases.
- DOJ frames the move as a response to 'widespread fraud' and promises 'severe consequences' for perpetrators in Minnesota.
- The article reiterates Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson’s estimate that fraud in 14 'vulnerable' Medicaid programs since 2018 could exceed $9 billion when fully uncovered, and notes his description of the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office as a 'relatively small' team finding 'new $50 million fraud schemes' daily.
- The piece links the prosecutorial surge to a broader federal posture in Minnesota that also includes a 2,000‑plus‑agent ICE/Homeland Security 'largest ever' immigration operation aimed partly at fraud.