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Truth in claim autism fraud Minnesota
Executive summary
Federal prosecutors have charged Asha Farhan Hassan with wire fraud, alleging she used Smart Therapy Center LLC to steal about $14 million from Minnesota’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) autism benefit and took roughly $465,000 from the Feeding Our Future program; this is described as the first criminal charge in a wider autism-provider probe [1] [2] [3]. Reporting and search-warrant affidavits say investigators believe some autism providers’ billings ballooned from millions to roughly $400 million in recent years and that the FBI has executed raids and opened multiple investigations tied to suspected fraudulent EIDBI claims [4] [5].
1. First indictment: the government’s allegations and scale
Federal charging documents filed in September 2025 accuse Asha Farhan Hassan of orchestrating a scheme from November 2019 through December 2024 to bill Minnesota’s EIDBI program for autism services not provided; prosecutors say Smart Therapy obtained roughly $13.8–$14 million from Medicaid/EIDBI and that Hassan also received about $465,000 through Feeding Our Future-related claims [1] [5] [3].
2. How investigators link autism centers to prior frauds
Investigators say the autism-provider probe grew from patterns seen in the Feeding Our Future pandemic-food program fraud; some defendants and businesses overlap across cases, and federal agents served search warrants at autism centers after finding “substantial evidence” of improper claims and ties to earlier schemes [6] [5] [1].
3. Alleged methods: diagnoses, staffing, and billing practices
Court filings and reporting claim Smart Therapy recruited families, ensured autism diagnoses, hired very young or uncredentialed staff (often relatives), billed for maximum services while providing little or no therapy, and paid monthly cash “kickbacks” to parents to enroll children — all practices prosecutors allege were sustained by fraudulent Medicaid billings [7] [8] [3].
4. Extent of the problem reported by local outlets
Local reporting and affidavits describe dramatic program growth: EIDBI-related billings rose markedly (reporting pegs program claims near $400 million in 2023, with payments about half that), prompting the Minnesota Department of Human Services and federal investigators to open multiple probes and onsite compliance measures [4] [9] [5].
5. What’s been charged vs. what’s under investigation
As of the cited reporting, Hassan is the first person criminally charged in the autism-provider probe; news outlets and the U.S. Attorney’s Office say more charges are expected and that the Hassan filing is “just the first” in a larger scheme [10] [8] [1]. Availability of sources does not list convictions beyond Hassan’s forthcoming plea plans reported by some outlets [7]; available sources do not mention later guilty pleas or additional indictments beyond those cited.
6. Competing narratives and political context
Conservative-leaning commentary frames the story as evidence of large-scale fraud tied to particular communities and accuses state systems of lax oversight [11]. Mainstream local outlets (Minnesota Reformer, Star Tribune, MPR, KSTP, KARE11, FOX9) focus on the procedural details, affidavit evidence, and the link to prior Feeding Our Future prosecutions while noting state steps to tighten oversight [8] [10] [4] [5] [7] [9]. These outlets present documentation-based allegations; commentary pieces amplify broader allegations and political implications [11].
7. Victims, services, and broader consequences
Reporting highlights consequences for families and services: allegations that therapy services were substandard or not provided, and that the sector’s rapid expansion strained oversight — while disability advocates and reputable autism providers urge stronger regulation and worry that reporting could harm legitimate provider trust [4] [9].
8. Limits of available reporting and unanswered questions
Current sources document allegations, search warrants, and the single charge; they do not provide final adjudications, comprehensive lists of all providers under federal indictment, nor definitive totals of confirmed fraud losses across every autism provider (available sources do not mention finalized convictions beyond what’s described) [1] [10] [8]. Follow-up reporting and court records will be required to confirm scope and culpability beyond the charged allegations [1].
9. What to watch next
Expect plea filings, more indictments, and DHS or federal summaries of the total alleged losses; also watch for official policy responses from the Minnesota Department of Human Services on tighter enrollment, oversight, and onsite compliance, which some outlets say DHS has already begun implementing [3] [9].
Summary note: the picture painted by court filings and investigative reporting is of an emerging, complex federal probe starting with a high-profile $14 million allegation; reporting is active and evolving, and the claims remain allegations until proven in court [1] [10].