The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has arrested two Muslim women in Minnesota for defrauding American taxpayers of more than $21 million through a brazen scheme targeting the state’s autism services program.

Shamso Ahmed Hassan, 55, and Hanaan Mursal Yusuf, 25, both of Brooklyn Park, were taken into custody by HSI agents. Federal prosecutors say the pair submitted $46.6 million in fraudulent claims to Minnesota’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) program — a Medicaid-funded service for children with autism — and pocketed approximately $21.1 million in taxpayer money for services that were never provided.

According to the DHS statement and indictment:

• Hassan was a beneficial owner of Smart Therapy Center LLC and Star Autism Center LLC but hid her ownership interests from Minnesota regulators as required.
• Yusuf worked as a provider and was heavily involved in operations and submitting claims.
• They paid illegal kickbacks to parents to enroll children.
• They billed for services that were never rendered, for children who didn’t qualify, and disguised the kickbacks by routing money through family members and employees — with some funds sent overseas.
• The scheme ran from at least May 2020 through December 2024.

“These Minnesota residents have been accused of stealing more than $21 million from the American taxpayer,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.

“They now face charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, EIGHT counts of health care fraud, and TWO counts of money laundering. Their Medicaid fraud scheme started during the COVID pandemic and lasted for four years. ICE continues to zero in on the rampant fraud in Minnesota. Under Secretary Mullin, we will end the defrauding of the American people.”

Both women are U.S. citizens (Hassan naturalized). They have pleaded not guilty and remain in federal custody.

As The Gateway Pundit has previously reported, the same Smart Therapy Center was at the center of an earlier massive fraud.

In late 2025, Asha Farhan Hassan (then 28), connected to the same operation, pleaded guilty to wire fraud after stealing $14 million from the exact same EIDBI autism program.

She was also tied to the infamous Feeding Our Future scandal, pocketing hundreds of thousands more in that $250+ million child nutrition fraud.

These cases are part of a much larger pattern of fraud by networks operating in Minnesota’s Somali community. The Gateway Pundit has reported how programs exploded under far-left Governor Tim Walz and Democrat policies, with little oversight, turning into personal piggy banks for fraudsters.

Daycare scams, housing fraud, Feeding Our Future, and now repeated autism service rip-offs. Billions in taxpayer money looted while actual vulnerable children and families suffer.

The post TOTAL CORRUPTION: Two Minnesota Muslim Women Arrested In Massive $21 Million Autism Program Scam — Taxpayer Cash Sent Overseas! appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.