{"id":2390,"date":"2026-05-21T21:39:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T21:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/21\/us-announces-charges-against-15-people-in-minnesota-over-alleged-90m-healthcare-scheme\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T21:39:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T21:39:51","slug":"us-announces-charges-against-15-people-in-minnesota-over-alleged-90m-healthcare-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=2390","title":{"rendered":"US announces charges against 15 people in Minnesota over alleged $90m healthcare scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"144ce9a1-844a-42c2-a075-da714d482988\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald speaks at a podium while several men in suits stand in a line behind him\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/3e5fd7695a65c29cc1ada1cfadc5ddda09820628\/0_0_5806_3871\/master\/5806.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"310.0266965208405\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Colin McDonald announces anti-fraud actions in Minnesota on Thursday.<\/span> Photograph: David Berding\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"144ce9a1-844a-42c2-a075-da714d482988\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Colin McDonald announces anti-fraud actions in Minnesota on Thursday.<\/span> Photograph: David Berding\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">US announces charges against 15 people in Minnesota over alleged $90m healthcare scheme<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Assistant US attorney general claims services in state subject to \u2018shocking\u2019 levels of fraud, which he labels a \u2018crisis\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/trump-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Trump administration<\/a> broke new ground in its offensive against alleged fraud in Minnesota\u2019s social services on Thursday as the US Department of Justice announced charges against 15 people accused of cheating a government healthcare program to the tune of $90m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">At a news conference in Minneapolis that underscored <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s fierce focus on the state and Tim Walz, its Democratic governor, Colin McDonald, assistant US attorney general, told journalists that services had been subject to \u201cshocking\u201d levels of fraud, which he labelled a \u201ccrisis\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Instances included an autism program where costs to taxpayers had ballooned from just $600,000 to more than $400m in six years, he claimed. Another scheme meant to help unhoused people find and maintain housing had risen 50-fold in cost, from $2.5m annually in 2020 to more than $104m in 2024, leading to its closure the following year \u2013 meaning that services no longer exist for a vulnerable segment of the population, McDonald said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Flanked by the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, and Mehmet Oz, head of the Medicare and Medicaid government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/money\/healthinsurance\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">health insurance<\/a> programs, McDonald declared: \u201cIt is a crisis in Minnesota.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"7e9f64e0-827f-4641-8967-a152d77ba0b7\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-4 | 4\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1bg5532\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/13\/jd-vance-anti-fraud-medicare-medicaid\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">JD Vance threatens health funding to states that don\u2019t comply with White House anti-fraud effort<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The charges brought, he said, \u201cinclude the highest loss amount ever charged in a Medicaid case in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/minnesota\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Minnesota<\/a>, and the largest autism fraud scheme ever charged by the Department of Justice\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe common theme throughout these cases is fraudsters exploiting vulnerable programs and vulnerable people to enrich themselves, no matter the consequences, to the programs or to the people,\u201d McDonald said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Thursday\u2019s announcement followed months of complaints from Trump about alleged rampant mass fraud in Minnesota, much of it tinged with racist vitriol against the state\u2019s Somali community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The fraud accusations were initially partly driven by a video from a rightwing social media influencer, Nick Shirley, focused on a children\u2019s daycare centre, which had its name misspelled, and which received large sums in state and federal assistance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The administration cited fraud as a major factor behind the decision to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents into the state last winter. The decision led to mass protests on the streets of Minneapolis, and the shooting deaths of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, at the hands of federal agents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">McDonald said the justice department had also deployed 11 \u201cstrike force prosecutors\u201d from across the country into Minnesota, resulting in Thursday\u2019s prosecutions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">JD Vance has since been put in charge of a White House initiative to root out fraud nationwide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">At the news conference, Kennedy called the prosecutions \u201cthe largest autism fraud bust in American history\u201d, and said charges had been brought in record time. More would be seen in the near future, he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cI want to be clear: this is an extraordinary bust today, because these kind of operations usually take many years, sometimes a decade,\u201d said Kennedy. \u201cThis was executed with a precision and speed that is unprecedented in the history of law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cBut under Vice-President Vance\u2019s leadership and President Trump\u2019s direction, we are going to normalize this speed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/minnesota\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Minnesota<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/jd-vance\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">JD Vance<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/robert-f-kennedy-jr\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Robert F Kennedy Jr<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/medicare\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US Medicare<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=US%20announces%20charges%20against%2015%20people%20in%20Minnesota%20over%20alleged%20%2490m%20healthcare%20scheme&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/21\/minnesota-healthcare-fraud?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F21%2Fminnesota-healthcare-fraud&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/21\/minnesota-healthcare-fraud\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Colin McDonald announces anti-fraud actions in Minnesota on Thursday. Photograph: David Berding\/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Colin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2390\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}