Overview
- City Journal, citing federal counterterrorism sources, reports that money stolen from Minnesota welfare programs was sent through hawala networks to Somalia, where Al‑Shabaab may have received a cut.
- Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson has described interconnected frauds as a web that has stolen billions of taxpayer dollars across multiple programs.
- In September, prosecutors charged eight people in the Housing Stabilization Services case, six identified as members of Minnesota’s Somali community, after the state terminated the program on Oct. 31 for widespread fraud.
- Prosecutors also charged Asha Farhan Hassan in an alleged $14 million autism‑services scheme involving fake diagnoses and kickbacks, as Medicaid autism claims and providers surged from 2018 to 2023.
- The new allegations surface as Minnesota continues prosecutions stemming from the Feeding Our Future scandal, which authorities say involved hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent food‑aid claims.