Ellison charges seven in Medicaid fraud cases across Minnesota
Seven providers were charged over Medicaid billing schemes that topped $700,000, with Minnesota officials pushing new powers to catch fraud before it hits rural care.
Seven health-care providers were charged with Medicaid fraud in Minnesota in cases that together topped $700,000 in improper billing. The charges landed on National Health Care Fraud Takedown Day, a coordinated effort with the U.S. Department of Justice and more than 40 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units.
The allegations were spread across Ramsey, Clay, Hennepin and Anoka counties, and none of the named defendants was tied to Otter Tail County in the announcement.
In Ramsey County, Tremayne Lamar Jackson of St. Paul was accused of billing for more than 6,000 hours of personal care assistant, companion care and homemaker services while he was working as a college basketball coach in Haviland, Kansas. The alleged fraud was worth about $125,000. In Clay County, Christine Marie Pryor of Fargo was accused of using the identities and credentials of three licensed professionals while billing more than $150,000 for psychotherapy and alcohol and drug counseling.
The remaining cases included Fernando Navarro of Minneapolis, who was charged in Hennepin County after he billed nearly $70,000 in personal care assistant services for a child after the child had moved to California. Shawki Elsaid of Blaine was charged in Anoka County, where he submitted more than 1,655 fraudulent claims and caused more than $182,000 in losses. Some referrals came from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, UCare and a private citizen.
Ellison has paired the enforcement push with a proposal he calls the Medical Assistance Protection Act, which would grow the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit from 32 staff members to 50 and give investigators subpoena power for financial records. In February, his office was already investigating at least 200 providers across 14 high-risk Medicaid services and fraud referrals had nearly tripled.
In May, the Justice Department announced Minnesota health-care fraud charges against 15 defendants in schemes involving more than $90 million in intended loss, the largest Medicaid-related takedown in the state. Minnesota officials have also pointed to an $18.5 million settlement with NUWAY Alliance in June 2025 and a June 2024 prosecution involving five people and more than $10 million in alleged fraud.
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