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Authorities further claim the scheme operated through multiple layers of deception. Hassan, identified as a beneficial owner of Smart Therapy Center LLC and Star Autism Center LLC, allegedly concealed her ownership stake from state regulators. Yusuf, meanwhile, is described as an active provider who helped run day-to-day operations and submitted fraudulent billing claims.
Investigators also allege the pair used illegal kickbacks to recruit families into the program, paying parents to enroll children regardless of eligibility. Once enrolled, prosecutors say the children were often billed for services that either never occurred or were not medically justified.
According to the indictment, funds obtained through the alleged scheme were then routed through various individuals, including family members and employees, in an effort to disguise their origin. Some of the money was reportedly moved overseas, further complicating the financial trail investigators had to follow.
Officials say the fraudulent activity stretched from at least May 2020 through December 2024, a period that overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic—an era in which emergency spending and reduced oversight created additional vulnerabilities in public assistance programs.
“This Minnesota residents have been accused of stealing more than $21 million from the American taxpayer,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
“They now face charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, EIGHT counts of health care fraud, and TWO counts of money laundering. Their Medicaid fraud scheme started during the COVID pandemic and lasted for four years. ICE continues to zero in on the rampant fraud in Minnesota. Under Secretary Mullin, we will end the defrauding of the American people.”
Both defendants are U.S. citizens, with Hassan having been naturalized. They have entered not guilty pleas and are currently being held in federal custody while the case moves forward in court.
The allegations are not occurring in isolation. Federal investigators and reporting on similar cases suggest that the same network of providers has been linked to prior fraud activity involving Minnesota’s autism services program.
In a related case, an individual connected to Smart Therapy Center previously admitted guilt in a separate fraud investigation involving the same EIDBI program. That case resulted in millions in losses tied to falsified billing for autism services.
That defendant was also connected to the broader “Feeding Our Future” scandal, one of the largest pandemic-era fraud cases in the country, in which tens of millions of dollars in federal nutrition funds were allegedly misused.
Taken together, these cases have raised broader concerns among federal officials about systemic weaknesses in Minnesota’s oversight of social service programs. Critics argue that rapid expansion of government-funded programs, combined with limited auditing during the pandemic period, created opportunities for exploitation.
The pattern has drawn renewed attention to how taxpayer-funded assistance programs are monitored and audited, especially in states where multiple large-scale fraud cases have emerged in recent years.
As investigations continue, federal authorities say they are expanding their scrutiny of related providers and billing networks that may have operated in similar fashion across Minnesota’s public assistance systems.
