A 28-year-old American national who purchased a Kenyan real estate property was charged with wire fraud on September 24 by federal authorities in connection with a Ksh2.1 billion autism scam.
Asha Hassan allegedly defrauded Minnesota’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioural Intervention (EIDBI) program, which provides medically necessary services to children under 21 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
“As outlined in the information, Hassan and others devised and carried out a scheme to defraud the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioural Intervention (“EIDBI”) benefit,” read part of the statement by the Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
Prosecutors claim she submitted inflated Medicaid claims and employed unqualified individuals as behavioural technicians.
“Abusing publicly funded health care programs for personal profit is an act of duplicity, greed, and a betrayal of the most vulnerable in our community,” said Special Agent Alvin M. Winston Sr. of the FBI in Minneapolis.
From November 2019 through December 2024, Asha Hassan and her partners reportedly ran a sophisticated scheme through her company.
Children were recruited mainly from the Somali community, and Hassan’s team ensured that each child was qualified for autism services, even if they did not have a formal diagnosis.
Parents were allegedly paid monthly kickbacks ranging from Ksh 45,000 to KSh 225,000 ($300 to $1,500) per child to keep their children enrolled.
Asha Hassan Fraud Beyond Autism Services
Asha Hassan was also involved in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, which targeted the Federal Child Nutrition Program.
Between 2020 and 2021, she submitted falsified meal counts and invoices, claiming nearly Ksh 69.75 million ($465,000) for meals that were never served.
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Court documents indicate she claimed Smart Therapy served up to 1,200 meals per day at peak, though many of these services were fabricated.
“From Feeding Our Future to Housing Stabilisation Services and now Autism Services, these massive fraud schemes form a web that has stolen billions of dollars in taxpayer money,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
“Each case we bring exposes another strand of this network. The challenge is immense, but our work continues,” he added.
Misappropriation of Funds
Authorities allege Asha Hassan sent hundreds of thousands of dollars abroad, with part of the funds used to purchase real estate property in Kenya.
Smart Therapy also billed for transportation services, some of which involved drivers on the company payroll.
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Many claims were submitted without the knowledge or approval of medical providers or supervising professionals, and company ownership was misrepresented to bypass restrictions on other partners.
Authorities Act
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, with assistance from the FBI, the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the IRS Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Asha Hassan faces charges of wire fraud, and she is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
“Justice for taxpayers and the children these programs serve is our priority,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca E. Kline.
“We will continue to pursue those who exploit government programs for personal gain.”
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