{"id":44685,"date":"2026-06-24T12:17:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T12:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/44685\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T12:17:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T12:17:14","slug":"7-minnesota-providers-among-455-charged-in-nationwide-6-5b-health-care-fraud-takedown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/44685\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Minnesota providers among 455 charged in nationwide $6.5B ‘health care fraud takedown’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seven Minnesota providers are part of the historic \u201cNational Health Care Fraud Takedown\u201d announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice<\/a> and Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.<\/p>\n

Altogether, the DOJ says 455 people are charged in alleged health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes as part of the \u201ctakedown\u201d across 45 states and territories. Collectively, those charged are accused of falsely claiming over $6.5 billion. Watch that full press conference below.<\/p>\n

Jump to Section: Details<\/a> | Breakdown<\/a> | DHS Response<\/a><\/p>\n

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison\u2019s office confirmed that Minnesota\u2019s MFCU charged seven people accused of fraudulently billing more than $700,000 in total. Those charged locally are:<\/p>\n

Tremayne Lemar Jackson,Christine Marie Pryor,Fernando Navarro,Shawki Elsaid,Ahmed Agwa,Edward Sherrod, andJessica Wavra.<\/p>\n

Despite the DOJ announcing the nationwide totals, Ellison\u2019s office is prosecuting the local cases. Each faces counts of theft-false representation, the charge generally used in local fraud cases.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: KSTP\/SurveyUSA poll:\u00a0Most Minnesotans critical of fraud, efforts to stop it; most important issues<\/a><\/p>\n

Details<\/p>\n

Jackson is charged in Ramsey County with claiming to provide over 6,000 hours of personal care assistant services that he billed for $125,000. The MFCU says Jackson couldn\u2019t have provided those services over the two-year period he claimed because he was working as a college basketball coach in Kansas.<\/p>\n

Pryor, charged in Clay County, claimed over $150,000 for providing psychotherapy and counseling services despite having no license or credentials to do so, MFCU says. Instead, she used the identities of three people licensed for those services.<\/p>\n

Navarro claimed to have provided services totaling $70,000 in reimbursements to a child for more than two years after the child had moved to California, MFCU says. He\u2019s charged in Hennepin County.<\/p>\n

Acting Attorney General @DAGToddBlanche<\/a> announces the results of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud TAKEDOWN: 455 defendants charged in connection with $6.5+ BILLION in alleged fraud<\/p>\n

“This announcement marks the greatest combined federal and state effort in combating health\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/piVY4uGk2F<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) June 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Elsaid is accused of submitting more 1,655 fraudulent claims, totaling more than $182,000, for services he allegedly rendered while either he or the supposed recipient was out of the country, MFCU says.<\/p>\n

Agwa, like Elsaid, is charged in Anoka County for billing services while he or the recipient was out of the country. MFCU says he claimed more than $94,000 in services, including nearly 100 hours after the recipient died.<\/p>\n

Sherrod is charged in Ramsey County with billing over $60,000 in services while working at another job at the same time, MFCU says.<\/p>\n

Wavra billed $29,000 in services that she didn\u2019t provide, MFCU says. She\u2019s charged in Polk County.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no patience for anyone who would steal our tax dollars, especially when those tax dollars are meant to provide health care for low-income Minnesotans who couldn\u2019t afford it otherwise,\u201d Ellison said. \u201cMy Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is one of the best in the nation, and today\u2019s charges demonstrate that we are working hard day in and day out to hold Medicaid fraudsters accountable and recover the tax dollars they stole from hardworking Minnesotans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breakdown<\/p>\n

Of the seven Minnesota cases, Ellison\u2019s office says the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) flagged two of them, health insurer UCare referred two, Crystal police forwarded two, and a private citizen contacted MFCU about one.<\/p>\n

Since 2019, Ellison\u2019s office says the MFCU has gotten 340 convictions for Medicaid fraud and won $90 million in judgments and recoveries.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Minnesota Attorney General\u2019s fraud unit expects funding boost \u2014 but what\u2019s its track record?<\/a><\/p>\n

Minnesota lawmakers approved an extra $1.2 million in funding this year for the MFCU, money that will be used to hire 18 more staff members, per Ellison\u2019s office. More money is earmarked for the office in the next budget cycle.<\/p>\n

RELATED: DHS: Only 2,000 of 5,600 high-risk Medicaid providers revalidated upon review<\/a><\/p>\n

DHS Response<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Department of Human Services says five of the seven cases announced Tuesday were terminated from the state\u2019s Medicaid program and the other two weren\u2019t enrolled with DHS and were acted on by managed care organizations.<\/p>\n

DHS added that since Jan. 1, 2025, it has stopped payment to 695 providers based on credible allegations of fraud and made more than 655 referrals to law enforcement.<\/p>\n

Statement from DHS Inspector General James Clark:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe applaud today\u2019s charges from the Minnesota Attorney General\u2019s Office. The Minnesota Department of Human Services has been working with our partners in law enforcement, sharing credible evidence of fraud when we find it and by supporting the prosecutors who build cases to charge criminals.<\/p>\n

\u201cDHS referred two of the cases announced today to the Attorney General\u2019s Office in 2024 and cut off payments to many of these providers two years ago or more.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy office continues to use its administrative power to shut off money to fraudulent Medicaid providers as soon as we uncover credible allegations of fraud. We\u2019ll continue to provide law enforcement with billing and ownership information, investigative files and other relevant documentation. And as I\u2019ve said before, I fully expect we\u2019ll see more charges in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch the DOJ\u2019s full press conference below.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFor Related Stories:\u00a0Attorney General Keith Ellison<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Criminal Charges<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0DOJ<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Fraud<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Medicaid<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0What The Fraud<\/a><\/p>\n

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