Two Somali Women Arrested in US Over Multi-Million-Dollar Medicaid Fraud

By Zakaria Hassan - Reporter

WASHINGTON 29 May 2026 United States authorities have arrested two Somali women accused of orchestrating a multi-million-dollar Medicaid fraud scheme.

In a statement issued by the White House, the two women were accused of participating in a scheme that allegedly defrauded the programme of more than $21 million, in what officials described as a major abuse of American taxpayers’ money.

Medicaid is a government-funded healthcare programme designed to support low-income families unable to afford medical care.

The women, identified as Shamso Ahmed Hassan and Hanaan Mursal Yusuf, are facing several federal charges, including conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, eight counts of healthcare fraud, and two counts of money laundering.

According to US authorities, Shamso Hassan owned Smart Therapy Center LLC and Star Autism Center LLC, companies that provided services for children with autism and behavioural development programmes in Minnesota.

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Federal investigators allege that between May 2020 and December 2024, the two women submitted false claims to Medicaid for services that were either not provided or fraudulently billed, allowing them to obtain millions of dollars from the public healthcare programme.

Prosecutors also said Hassan served as the lead billing employee for Smart Therapy Center, overseeing claims submitted to the Medicaid system.

The White House, which published the women’s photos alongside the announcement on social media, said: “Minnesota’s fraud schemes are finished. The days of scamming American taxpayers are DONE.”

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said investigations into similar fraud schemes would continue, adding that the alleged operation began during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued for nearly four years.

Both women are US citizens, according to authorities.