Minn autism expert suspected Somali fraud a year ago
ABC 5 KSTP ^ | July 16, 2025 | Ryan Raiche KSTP
Posted on 11/26/2025, 1:24:19 PM by Morgana
The unprecedented crackdown that is underway right now to root out fraud in Minnesota’s growing autism program started around the time of a federal raid of two autism centers last year in Minneapolis and St. Cloud.mHowever, there are growing concerns that the state may have missed warning signs. “It makes me sad for the families,” said Dr. Eric Larsson with the Lovaas Institute Midwest. He’s dedicated his life to helping families with autism and even helped the state stand up its autism program a decade ago. “The only reason we’re delivering services is because families worked so hard over the past 30 years to develop this program,” he said.
But now the program is in the crosshairs of state investigators. As 5 INVESTIGATES first reported, 1 in 5 autism centers in the state is now under investigation after a new crackdown launched last fall. “There was such a high need for autism services in Minnesota when the state began offering it, that it’s an unlicensed service, so there aren’t the same structures in place that there are for other programs,” said Shireen Gandhi, Temporary Commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the agency that oversees the program.
There are currently more than 450 providers in the state who submit claims for Medicaid reimbursement. When the program first got off the ground in 2017, claims totaled more than $1 million. But the program has exploded – last year, claims totaled more than $220 million. DHS said it stepped up enforcement late last year, around the time the feds raided two autism centers suspected of billing the state more than $20 million for services never provided. “I was never thinking somebody is going to submit fake bills,” Dr. Larsson said. (Excerpt) Read more at kstp.com ...
The United States provided over $1 billion in foreign aid to Somalia in FY2024, with the specific amount fluctuating annually and depending on the type of aid. The total includes humanitarian aid (over $400 million), security assistance for Somali and AU forces, and funding for development programs focused on health, education, and stabilization.
More recently, for FY2025, there was about $128 million in humanitarian assistance through September 2025 and an additional $29 million announced in December 2024 for resilience, food security, and health initiatives.
Key figures and areas of funding
FY2024: Over $1 billion, including over $400 million in humanitarian aid.
FY2023: $1.18 billion was committed.
FY2025 (partial year): Some $128 million in humanitarian assistance through Sept 2025.
Dec 2024: An additional $29M was announced focused on resilience, food security, and health.
Primary focus areas:
Humanitarian assistance (including emergency food assistance)
Security (support for Somali and AU forces)
Stabilization and governance programs
Health and education
Food security and agriculture