Six charged in Minnesota with $18B Medicaid fraud using fake claims and shell companies.

Federal prosecutors in Minnesota announced new fraud charges against six individuals linked to Medicaid programs, alleging industrial-scale fraud involving up to $18 billion in funds since 2018, with roughly half or more potentially lost to scams. The charges include five in a housing services program and one in an autism therapy program, with evidence of false claims, shell companies, and "fraud tourism" by out-of-state defendants. Funds were used for luxury travel, real estate in Kenya, and cryptocurrency, though no direct links to terrorism were found. The probe, which began with a major COVID-19 fraud case, has led to 82 charges and $120 million in seized assets, with ongoing efforts to strengthen oversight amid growing scrutiny.