‘Outstanding’ Minnesota refugee once honored by the state faces charges in $4.5M Medicaid, sex trafficking scheme

Prosecutors said Elmi, an immigrant from Somalia, was one of four associates who ran four phony agencies in Minnesota -- Reva Health, Reva Autism, Helpful Housing, Homefelt Assisted Living -- that scammed the government health care program out of more than $4.5 million since 2023.

August 18, 2026 2:23 PM ET A man who was previously recognized as an “outstanding refugee” by the Minnesota Department of Human Services has been charged over an alleged Medicaid fraud scheme, according to news coverage.Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Monday that his Medicaid Fraud Control

Salman Ahmed Elmi, once honored as an outstanding refugee in Minnesota, now faces charges for aiding a scheme to bill Medicaid for over $1 million.

New charges allege that former Anoka County prosecutor Andrea Sampson owned a ‘commercial sex house’ she turned into an assisted living facility that billed Medicaid for over $500,000.