Overview

• Federal prosecutors charged 28-year-old Asha Farhan Hassan with wire fraud as the first case filed in the state’s autism services investigation.
• Investigators say she used Smart Therapy to bill more than $14 million through Minnesota’s EIDBI program after concealing other owners from DHS records.
• The clinic allegedly hired unqualified teen relatives as technicians, targeted Somali families for enrollment, and paid parents $300 to $1,500 per month in kickbacks.
• Prosecutors allege the scheme was financed through fraudulent Medicaid claims, with proceeds sent overseas and used to buy property in Kenya.
• Hassan also faces charges tied to the Feeding Our Future case for allegedly claiming nearly 200,000 meals, about $465,000 in payments, and submitting fake invoices referencing S&S Catering.