NEW: Alleged Minnesota Fraudster Skips Court, Goes On The Run

Abdirashid Ismail Said, a 50-year-old Minnesota resident of Somali dissent, is now a fugitive after failing to appear for a pretrial hearing in Hennepin County District Court on Tuesday, April 8. Said is a suspect in a multi-million-dollar public welfare fraud scandal in the state.

A judge has ordered the forfeiture of his $150,000 unconditional bond, and a nationwide arrest warrant has been issued. Authorities, including the Minnesota Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, are working with federal law enforcement to locate him as of this report.

Authorities are currently investigating the possibility that after booking a flight undetected, despite prosecutors’ earlier warnings about the risks of his release, according to a report from local outlet KMSP.

Said stands accused of being the principal actor in what the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office has described as its largest-ever Medicaid fraud prosecution. In December 2023, Attorney General Keith Ellison charged Said, along with co-conspirators Ali Abdirizak Ahmed (37, of Minnetonka) and Said Awil Ibrahim (24, of Minneapolis), with a total of 24 felony counts for allegedly defrauding Minnesota’s Medical Assistance (Medicaid) program of nearly $11 million between May 2019 and May 2023.

Said faces one count of racketeering, eight counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle (over $35,000), and one count of perjury.

🚨 BREAKING: Somali immigrant, suspected in an $11 MILLION FRAUD CASE in Minnesota and with a prior fraud conviction, FLED the country days before his trial.

Abdirashid Ismail Said, 48, was charged in December 2023 with leading an $11 million Medicaid fraud scheme in Minnesota,… pic.twitter.com/qr5gUT6h4V

— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) April 10, 2026

According to the criminal complaint, Said secretly operated three Medicaid-funded personal care assistant (PCA) and home health care agencies — Faym Health Services (or LCC), Prestige Health LLC, and Minnesota Home Health Care LLC — despite being explicitly barred from any involvement in such programs. The agencies collectively received more than $10.9 million in Medicaid payments while Said controlled them without being listed as an owner, manager, employee, or contractor.

Prosecutors allege the scheme involved billing for services that were never provided, ineligible for payment, or supported by fraudulent documentation. Specific breakdowns include approximately $997,000 billed for recipients who later denied receiving any services, roughly $300,000 in overbilled claims, more than $5.8 million for undocumented or fraudulently documented services, and about $4.6 million paid to one agency based on falsified records.

Said was known to authorities prior to the ongoing case. In 2022, he was convicted of Medicaid fraud, ordered to repay the state $77,000, and permanently barred under state and federal law from working with any Medicaid-funded agency.

Investigators found voluminous documentary, digital, and financial evidence showing Said continued to run the agencies covertly. Numerous former employees, clients, and at least one case manager confirmed his illegal involvement.

During a probation violation hearing tied to his prior conviction, Said allegedly committed perjury by testifying under oath that he had no ownership, management, employee, or contractor role at any of the agencies.

“A warrant has been issued for Mr. Said’s arrest after he failed to appear for a pre-trial hearing. My Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is working with federal law enforcement to locate Said and ensure he faces justice for the fraud he committed,” Ellison said following Said’s skipped court appearance. “This is a deeply frustrating setback, however I remain committed to doing everything I can to hold Said and other Medicaid fraudsters accountable.”

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