Hennepin County Judge tosses out jury's guilty verdict in $7.2 million home healthcare fraud case (more Somali fraud in Minneapolis)

Jurors tell KARE 11 News their decision wasn't difficult after seeing evidence of "obvious fraud" committed by Abdifatah Yusuf.

MINNEAPOLIS — At the August trial for Abdifatah Yusuf, the jury heard evidence that he ran his home healthcare company, Promise Health, out of a mailbox at a Central Avenue address where multiple other home healthcare companies were supposedly located.

Yusuf and his wife Lul Ahmed were charged with stealing $7.2 million of taxpayer money through Medicaid overbilling in a personal care assistant (PCA) scam.

The couple allegedly spent tens of thousands of the fraud money on luxury items for themselves.

"It was not a difficult decision whatsoever. The deliberation took probably four hours at most. Based off of the state's evidence that was presented, it was beyond a reasonable doubt," jury foreperson Ben Walfoort told KARE 11 News.

Despite the jury swiftly convicting Yusuf, Judge Sarah West last week decided that they got it wrong, overturning the verdict and issuing a judgment of acquittal.

Defense attorney Joe Tamburino, who is not affiliated with the case, reviewed the decision and analyzed it for KARE 11 News. He says Judge West ruled that the state's case "relied heavily on circumstantial evidence," and that she believed the state didn't rule out other "reasonable inferences."

"That in fact, there could have been other reasonable theories other than guilt in this case. That's what it comes down to," Tamburino said.

Despite the ruling, even Judge West wrote that she is "troubled by the manner in which fraud was able to be perpetuated at Promise Health."

State Rep. Kristin Robbins, chair of the House Fraud Prevention and State Oversight Committee, says she's now reviewing if any state laws need to be tightened.

"I was stunned. We want to strengthen state law so that we can get prosecutions out of these cases. Because clearly a jury thought he was guilty," Robbins said.

"I am shocked. I'm shocked based off of all of the evidence that was presented to us and the obvious guilt that we saw based off of the said evidence," Walfoort said.

Another juror told KARE 11: "We didn't take our job lightly. We went through a lot of evidence and discussed a lot, took our time, but we all came to an agreement pretty easily."

The Attorney General's Office filed an appeal on Monday. Prosecutors are rarely able to appeal an acquittal, but they can in this case since the judgment overturns the will of the jury.

Yusuf's attorney Ian Birrell provided KARE 11 with this statement: "Judge West's ruling affirms what we have maintained from the beginning: our client Mr. Yusuf was wrongfully accused and did not commit fraud or racketeering. The Court's decision to enter judgments of acquittal on all charges reflects the fundamental principle that justice requires both fairness and proof. We appreciate the Court's careful attention to the evidence and the law."

Minnesota Somali Abdifatah Yusuf was found guilty in August 2025 of bilking the Medicaid program out of over $7.2 million through his personal care assistant (PCA) agency, Promise Health Services, LLC.

Reports also suggest that some of the money stolen through various welfare fraud schemes in Minnesota may have been routed to the terror group al-Shabaab in Somalia.

In November 2025, a Hennepin County judge controversially overturned the jury’s guilty verdict against Yusuf, citing insufficient direct evidence that he knew fraud was occurring. The Minnesota Attorney General’s office has appealed this ruling.

Details of the case and wider fraud
The Scheme: Abdifatah Yusuf’s agency, Promise Health Services, LLC, claimed to provide millions in Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) to Medicaid recipients but lacked a physical office and operated out of a mailbox for years.

Jury Verdict: In August 2025, a jury found Yusuf guilty of six counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle (over $35,000) and found aggravating factors to support an enhanced sentence.

Judge’s Decision: In November 2025, Hennepin County Judge Sarah West dismissed the jury’s verdict against Yusuf, arguing there was not enough direct evidence linking him to the fraudulent activity within his company.

Terrorist Funding Allegations: According to reports, former federal counter-terrorism officials believe some stolen funds were sent to Somalia via informal transfer networks known as hawalas. They allege that al-Shabaab routinely takes a share of these funds.

Wider Context: Federal prosecutors in Minnesota are investigating widespread welfare fraud in the Somali community, including other fraud cases involving housing stabilization and pandemic child nutrition programs. Sources suggest Minnesota taxpayers could be one of the largest funders of al-Shabaab due to these schemes.

Political Reaction: Minnesota GOP lawmakers have pushed for a federal fraud investigation and alleged a terrorist link. Critics claim Minnesota leaders have been slow to address the issue, fearing backlash from the state’s Somali-American voting block.

Other Related Cases: The Yusuf case is one of several recent fraud cases. In August 2023, the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office charged five people with $9.5 million in Medicaid fraud involving a PCA company called MN Professional.

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