A 28-year-old Somalian woman has been federally charged with wire fraud for allegedly defrauding Minnesota’s autism services program of more than $14 million, using some of the stolen taxpayer funds to purchase real estate in Kenya while simultaneously participating in the massive Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.
Asha Farhan Hassan was charged by federal information for her role in what prosecutors describe as a complex web of fraud targeting publicly funded programs designed to help vulnerable populations. Federal prosecutors say Hassan sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraud proceeds overseas, including money used to buy property in Kenya.
Fake Autism Services Operation
According to federal prosecutors, Hassan formed Smart Therapy LLC in November 2019 and enrolled it as a provider in Minnesota’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioural Intervention (EIDBI) program, which provides medically necessary services to children under 21 with autism spectrum disorder.
The company purported to offer Applied Behaviour Analysis therapy, a specialised one-on-one behavioural treatment for children with autism. Instead, prosecutors allege Hassan employed unqualified individuals as “behavioural technicians” — often 18- or 19-year-old relatives with only a high school education and no training in autism treatment.
Hassan allegedly recruited families from the Somali community, working with a supervising professional to qualify children for autism services regardless of their actual needs. “There was no child that Smart Therapy was not able to get qualified for autism services,” the charging document states.
Cash Kickbacks to Parents
To maintain enrollment, Hassan allegedly paid monthly cash kickbacks to parents ranging from $300 to $1,500 per child, with amounts tied to the level of services authorised by the state. Parents reportedly threatened to leave for competing centres offering higher kickbacks.
Hassan then submitted fraudulent Medicaid claims for the maximum allowable treatment hours while providing only a fraction of those services, if any. Many claims included forged signatures from medical providers who either didn’t work for the company, were out of the country, or hadn’t approved the listed services.
The scheme netted more than $14 million from the Minnesota Department of Human Services and UCare between November 2019 and December 2024. According to the federal charging document, Hassan sent hundreds of thousands of dollars overseas and used some of the fraud proceeds to purchase real estate in Kenya.
Connection to Feeding Our Future
While operating the autism fraud, Hassan simultaneously enrolled Smart Therapy in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship in July 2020. She allegedly submitted false claims for serving up to 1,200 meals daily to children, collecting approximately $465,000 for nearly 200,000 meals that were never provided.
The Feeding Our Future scandal, led by founder Aimee Bock, involved nearly 200 fraudulent nutrition program sites and has resulted in multiple federal prosecutions.
Broader Pattern of Fraud
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said the charges represent “the first in the ongoing investigation into fraud in the EIDBI Autism Program,” describing a pattern extending from Feeding Our Future to housing services and now autism programs.
“These massive fraud schemes form a web that has stolen billions of dollars in taxpayer money,” Thompson said. “Each case we bring exposes another strand of this network.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. called the alleged fraud “an act of duplicity, greed, and a betrayal of the most vulnerable in our community.”
The case is being prosecuted by Acting U.S. Attorney Thompson and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca E. Kline, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier. The investigation involved the FBI, Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
