Lead defendant in $11M Medicaid fraud skips Hennepin court, now fugitive

📌 Key Facts

Abdirashid Ismail Said is the lead defendant in an alleged $11 million Medicaid fraud case.
Said failed to appear for an April 8 pretrial hearing in Hennepin County.
As a direct result of Said's failure to appear, the upcoming Hennepin County jury trial has been canceled.
Said has forfeited his $150,000 bond.
A warrant for Said's arrest remains active and he is being treated as a fugitive.
According to the reporting, the case will not proceed to trial until Said is caught.

📊 Relevant Data

26 percent of Somali Minnesotans have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to approximately 38 percent for the overall Minnesota population aged 25 and older.

Latest Data on Somali Minnesotans 2024 — Empowering Strategies

The unemployment rate for Somali Minnesotans is 7.8 percent, compared to the state average of 4.4 percent in January 2026.

Latest Data on Somali Minnesotans 2024 — Empowering Strategies

Somali Minnesotans have a labor force participation rate of over 70 percent, which is higher than the general population in Minnesota.

Contrary to Trump's claims, Somalis add $8B to MN economy — Congress.gov

Approximately 39 percent of working-age Somalis in Minnesota have no high school education, compared to about 7 percent of natives.

Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — Center for Immigration Studies

💬 Social Media Perspectives

@GrageDustin, a political columnist, highlights that Abdirashid Ismail Said fled the country after posting a $150K bond and keeping his passport, attributing this to Tim Walz’s soft on crime courts in Minnesota.
@ChenueHer, a FOX9 anchor, reports that Said, accused of stealing nearly $11 million from Minnesota taxpayers, failed to appear in court on April 8, resulting in a forfeited bond and his status as missing.
@yusufhameed provides detailed context on Said's case, noting his prior 2022 Medicaid fraud conviction and charges including racketeering for operating unauthorized home health agencies that defrauded the program of $11 million.
Users such as @1Nicdar and @JamesMacCarth16 express frustration with Minnesota's justice system, pointing out that Said, with a prior fraud conviction, was allowed to keep his passport and likely fled to Kenya, leaving taxpayers to bear the loss.
@KT07500539 shares a report from Powerlineblog detailing how Said, accused in the $11M fraud, fled the country just before his trial, emphasizing the cancellation of the proceedings until his apprehension.

Based on 2 sources

📰 Source Timeline (2)

Follow how coverage of this story developed over time

April 11, 2026

4:00 PM

$11 million fraud trial canceled after Minnesota defendant skips hearing

Alphanews by Janice Hisle | The Epoch Times

New information:

Confirms that the upcoming Hennepin County jury trial has been canceled as a direct result of Abdirashid Ismail Said failing to appear for the April 8 pretrial hearing.
Reinforces that Said has forfeited his $150,000 bond and that a warrant remains active for his arrest.
Alpha News framing emphasizes that this is the 'lead' defendant in the alleged $11 million Medicaid fraud and that the case will not proceed to trial until he is caught.

April 10, 2026

6:37 PM

Minnesota fraud: Man charged with stealing $11M skips court date, whereabouts unknown

FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul by [email protected] (Kilat Fitzgerald)