Federal Fraud Task Force Announces New Minnesota Takedowns: Four Arrested, a 26-Count Indictment and a Closer Partnership With the IRS
Officials from the FBI, CMS and Treasury said 17 search warrants were executed Thursday and four people arrested over alleged health and child care fraud. Vice President Vance, who leads the task force, canceled his appearance.
Members of the White House Fraud Task Force gathered in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on Friday to announce new arrests and a new push against fraud in the state, the Daily Caller reports.
The arrests. FBI Director Kash Patel said agents in Minneapolis executed 17 search warrants Thursday that were combined into a 26-count indictment, and that four people were arrested. The Caller lists them as Feisal Elmi of Aspen Associates (11 counts of health care fraud, $8 million in intended loss), Jama Mohamod of American Home Health Care (six counts, $3.27 million), Faiza Ahmed of Home Sweet Home (eight counts, $10 million) and Habiba Mohamed of Smart Therapy (one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, nearly $20 million). Patel said the scheme aimed to take more than $41 million from taxpayer programs. "This FBI followed the money," he said.
The IRS. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said IRS criminal investigators helped at several suspected fraud sites Thursday and that the IRS will work more closely with the task force. He cited 115 people charged, 75 convictions and nearly 3,000 subpoenas in Minnesota since the administration began. CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz called the IRS step "moving on to the big boy," arguing that people who steal from the poor are unlikely to pay their taxes.
The wider record. Patel said investigations tied to the Feeding Our Future nonprofit have produced 81 charged, 70 convicted and more than half a billion dollars in combined restitution. Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald said 14 Minnesota fraud defendants have been sentenced to a combined 988 months, and promised the work will continue "for as long as it takes."
One more detail. The Caller, citing the Minnesota Star Tribune, says Vice President JD Vance, who heads the task force, canceled his St. Cloud appearance hours beforehand. A U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson gave no reason.
Note for readers: the charges and dollar figures are allegations and the officials' own numbers. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the Caller does not include defense responses.