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Minnesota AG Ellison charges 9 in $3M Medicaid fraud case
Officials say one provider alone billed for 27,400 false claims and more than $2.2 million in psychotherapy services.
- On Tuesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced criminal charges against nine Medicaid providers accused of defrauding the state of $3 million in total.
- High-Profile fraud cases involving hundreds of millions in federal dollars have drawn national attention to Minnesota over the last year, prompting a new bipartisan law that expanded Ellison's fraud investigation authority.
- The largest case involves Peter Jason Meilahn, a Duluth-based therapist accused of submitting 27,400 false claims worth more than $2.2 million; investigators also charged Awo Mohamed of Roseville with $675,000 in fraudulent personal care billing and Michelle Tyrese Lucas Reed with stealing $42,000 by claiming up to 20 hours daily.
- Ellison expressed hope the state can recover stolen funds, though Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Director Nick Wanka cautioned defendants likely spent much of the money; the office secured around $90 million in court-ordered restitution since 2019 but recovered only about $3 million as of July.
- The fraud prosecutions have become central to Ellison's reelection campaign, with his Republican opponent trial lawyer Ron Schutz arguing the attorney general hasn't done enough, while former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson estimated potential Medicaid losses at $9 billion since 2018—a figure Governor Tim Walz and state officials have disputed.
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19 Articles
19 Articles
Keith Ellison charges 9 in $3M Medicaid fraud case
The single largest instance of alleged fraud centers around a Duluth-based provider of psychotherapy services that the attorney general accuses of claiming more than $2.2 million through 27,400 false claim reports.
·Saint Paul, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources19
Leaning Left1Leaning Right6Center10Last UpdatedBias Distribution59% Center
Bias Distribution
- 59% of the sources are Center
59% Center
C 59%
R 35%
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