Feds charge 15 people in Minnesota with defrauding government social service programs
CNN • • nation
Key Points:
- Federal charges were filed against 15 individuals in Minnesota for defrauding social service programs, involving theft exceeding $90 million in taxpayer money, according to Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald.
- The cases are part of a larger Covid-19-related fraud scheme in Minnesota that took more than $250 million in federal funds, with only about $50 million recovered so far.
- Allegations include falsifying meal counts for child nutrition programs, inflating staff hours for child care grants, Medicaid fraud involving inflated service hours, and misuse of funds by group home owners, including purchasing luxury vehicles.
- Some charges involve the largest autism fraud scheme ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice, with false diagnoses used to obtain government money.
- The announcement followed the sentencing of Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock to nearly 42 years in prison for bribery and other federal charges tied to the fraud.