The leader of a Minnesota autism center has pleaded guilty to federal charges linked to a $6 million fraud scheme.
Abdinajib Hassan Yussuf, 27, entered the plea on one count of wire fraud on Monday.
What The Fraud
He was charged in December with defrauding the state’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) program. He was the President and CEO of St. Cloud-based Star Autism Center LLC, one of the first two autism centers — along with Smart Therapy LLC in Minneapolis — to be subject to federal search warrants late last year.
From late 2020 to December 2024, prosecutors say Yussuf used Star Autism to submit fraudulent Medicaid claims, totaling over $6 million. The scheme involved unqualified staff and cash kickbacks to parents.
Star Autism recruited children from the Somali community, even if they lacked an autism diagnosis. Yussuf and his partners then ensured that the children qualified for autism services.
The fraudulent claims were often inflated or billed without providers’ knowledge.
Prosecutors say Yussuf used over $100,000 of the proceeds to buy a semi-truck and sent more than $200,000 to Kenya.
His sentencing date hasn’t yet been set.
