Somali scammer to avoid jail time in Minnesota’s largest Medicaid fraud case
A Somali man, Awil Ibrahim, was convicted as part of Minnesota’s largest-ever Medicaid fraud case and has avoided jail time by striking a plea deal with the Minnesota Attorney general’s office.Ibrahim pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle connected to a home healthcare/personal care services scheme that allegedly stole about $11 million from Minnesota’s Medicaid program.
He will serve five years of supervised probation, with a 150-day jail sentence paused as long as he complies with probation terms, helps prosecutors pursue co-defendant Abdirashid Ismail Said (the alleged mastermind), and continues repaying joint restitution of about $2.2 million. Several related charges against him were dismissed under the agreement.
Said, the remaining key suspect, is believed to have fled abroad and was flagged as a serious flight risk. Details in court proceedings and the plea agreement indicate he had options to post bail with travel restrictions or pay an additional bond to avoid conditions such as surrendering his passport and signing an extradition agreement-he chose the latter.
Authorities allege the scheme involved filing fraudulent reimbursement claims by overbilling Medicaid for exaggerated caregiving hours, and communications between the defendants discussed overbilling and “hit and run” behavior.
A Somali scammer convicted in Minnesota’s largest-ever Medicaid fraud case will likely avoid jail time after striking a plea deal with state Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office last week.
Said Awil Ibrahim, 26, pled guilty on Friday to two counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle for his role in a sprawling home healthcare scheme that stole approximately $11 million in Medicaid funds from Minnesota’s personal care assistance program.
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Ibrahim, the only remaining co-conspirator still in the United States, will be placed on five years of supervised probation after agreeing to help officials pursue and prosecute his co-defendant, Abdirashid Ismail Said, the scam’s alleged mastermind.
Said is suspected of fleeing the country ahead of his jury trial in April. Another accomplice has never been detained and is believed to have also absconded abroad during the initial investigation.
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As part of the plea bargain, Ibrahim had a racketeering charge and two additional theft charges dismissed.
Ibrahim will have his 150-day jail sentence paused as long as he follows the terms of probation and continues to pay back the $2.2 million he owes in joint restitution through a payment plan that will be determined at sentencing.
The plea agreement’s stipulations suggest that Ibrahim will simply have to “help” investigators with their pursuit of Said, not necessarily deliver on his promise.
Prosecutors in the Minnesota attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit warned at the outset of the case that Said was a severe flight risk, citing significant “out-of-country ties.”
Judge Juan Hoyos, an appointee of former Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, gave Said the option of either posting $50,000 bail with certain travel restrictions or paying an extra bond amount of $150,000, waiving all attached conditions. Said chose the latter, which allowed him to keep his passport and avoid signing an extradition agreement.
Ibrahim, at Friday’s plea reading, was able to post unconditional bail and leave the courtroom on his own recognizance. Hoyos instructed Ibrahim to comply with the conditions of his release, which include appearing in court at future hearings, and reminded him to return for sentencing.
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Ibrahim, according to the criminal complaint that charged him alongside Said, filed reimbursement claims on behalf of Said, who was banned from accessing federal funds due to a previous Medicaid fraud conviction.
Together, the two operated a purported personal care assistance agency in Minneapolis that was crammed inside the same location as other bogus healthcare businesses.
Authorities say Ibrahim often overbilled Medicaid by exaggerating the time that staff actually spent supposedly caring for patients.
Said’s phone data allegedly showed him telling Ibrahim, “We gonna party bro. Insha Allah.” According to their text exchange, Ibrahim replied, “Next pay period bro I’ll bill 50k,” explicitly stating, “I’m gonna over bill the hours … And do a hit and run.”
In 2021, when Said was first charged with — and subsequently convicted of — Medicaid fraud, a warrant was not even issued for his arrest, nor did he have to post bail.
Upon pleading guilty, Said was similarly sentenced to probation and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service in lieu of prison time.
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