Top Trump administration officials descended upon St. Cloud, Minn., on Friday to showcase a federal effort to prosecute public program fraud, highlighting years of state-level investigations into a prominent midterm campaign talking point.
The push comes just days before the midterm elections, as federal prosecutors and cabinet secretaries point to more than 100 criminal charges tied to Minnesota social services since 2022. The FBI in Minneapolis executed 17 search warrants, yielding charges against four individuals accused of looting government-subsidized care programs for the elderly, disabled, and autistic children.
The Charges and the Scale of the Stolen Funds
The freshly filed federal cases lay bare multi-million-dollar problems within Minnesota’s health and human services delivery. Faiza Osman Ahmed, 41, the owner of Home Sweet Home Health Care in Bloomington, stands accused of stealing $8 million from three separate state programs designed to help elderly and disabled residents receive home care. Feisal Mohamed Elmi, 46, owner of Aspen Associates in Minneapolis, allegedly defrauded the state’s autism program out of $2.8 million.
BREAKING: SUDDEN CANCELLATIONS BY TRUMP AND VANCE.Vice President JD Vance has reportedly cancelled his scheduled Friday visit to St. Cloud, Minnesota, at the last minute, according to the Minnesota Attorney’s Office.President Trump has also cancelled all his planned rallies…
Meanwhile, Jama Yusuf Mohamod, 68, faces charges for allegedly defrauding Medicaid’s Integrated Community Supports program out of $3.2 million through his Maple Grove venture, American Home Health Care. Court records show Ahmed, Elmi, and Mohamod each entered not guilty pleas during initial court appearances in Minneapolis. A fourth defendant, Habiba Mohamed, co-owner of Smart Therapy in Minneapolis, is accused of taking part in a scheme to defraud Medicaid’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention program for autistic children out of $14 million. Mohamed is scheduled to enter a guilty plea at a Nov. 12 hearing in St. Paul.
“Our nation’s war on fraud started right here in Minnesota,” Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, declared during the St. Cloud press conference. Oz promised to “crush fraud and corruption here and nationwide,” while drawing attention to the October 7 conviction of Sharmaine Meadows of Lake Elmo, who was found guilty of three counts of health care fraud linked to the Minnesota Medicaid Housing Stabilization Services Program that was ended by the Walz administration last year.
Political Crossfire and the St. Cloud Backdrop
While the Friday gathering was billed as an official White House event, the political subtext was difficult to miss. Fraud has become a central theme of political campaigns mounted by Republicans for both state and federal offices ahead of the midterm election.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent leveled sharp criticism at Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison during the event, asserting without evidence that the Walz administration turned a blind eye to the abuses. “The Walz administration has been woefully negligent and turned a blind eye, so every citizen of Minnesota is a victim,” Bessent told reporters.
The governor’s office pushed back swiftly against the event, characterizing the press conference as political theater. “Today’s press conference offered no new information and amounted to a political spectacle just days before an election,” Walz’s office stated.
Officials didn’t specify why they chose St. Cloud for the news conference, since none of the defendants mentioned is from St. Cloud. President Donald Trump has repeatedly singled out Somali immigrants for attacks. Local demonstrations outside the venue underscored the atmosphere surrounding the federal visit.
Unanswered Questions Over Federal Prison Acquisitions
Beyond the social services charges, Bessent faced pointed inquiries regarding Department of Homeland Security real estate maneuvers in the state. KARE 11 reported that the federal government purchased a private prison in Appleton, Minn., from CoreCivic for $495.6 million in August—more than six times the $75 million price tag the company had previously offered to sell the facility to the state of Minnesota in 2025.
Federal records cited in the local reporting indicate that CoreCivic and its leadership contributed half a million dollars to the Trump-Vance inaugural committee alongside donations to political committees associated with President Trump. Bessent declined to answer press questions regarding the Appleton facility purchase, leaving the financial discrepancy unaddressed as federal authorities pivot their focus toward upcoming court dates and the closing days of the election cycle.
