Connect with us

Latest

Minnesota fraud suspect skips court, forfeits bond, throwing $11M Medicaid case into doubt

Published

on

A man accused of orchestrating an $11 million Medicaid fraud scheme in Minnesota skipped a scheduled court appearance this week, prompting a warrant for his arrest, authorities said.

Abdirashid Ismail Said, 50, failed to appear for a pre-trial hearing in Hennepin County, forfeiting his bond, according FOX 9, citing the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that his office is working with federal authorities to locate Said.

“A warrant has been issued for Said’s arrest after he failed to appear for a pre-trial hearing,” Ellison told the outlet. “My Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is working with federal law enforcement to locate Said and ensure he faces justice for the fraud he committed. This is a deeply frustrating setback, however, I remain committed to doing everything I can to hold Said and other Medicaid fraudsters accountable.”

MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL: SIXTH FAMILY MEMBER WHO MET WITH AG ELLISON SET TO PLEAD GUILTY

Said posted a $150,000 unconditional bond to avoid stricter conditions, including surrendering his passport, while a $50,000 conditional bond would have required it, according to FOX 9. Investigators also raised concerns about Said’s potential to flee, citing family ties abroad, according to FOX 9.

Prosecutors charged Said with racketeering and multiple counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle in connection with an alleged scheme that defrauded Minnesota’s Medicaid program of nearly $11 million, according to the criminal complaint.

The complaint alleges Said carried out the scheme — from 2019 through 2023 — by secretly operating multiple Medicaid-funded home health care agencies despite being barred from working with such programs following a prior fraud conviction.

TRUMP ADMIN SCORES MINNESOTA COURT WIN IN MEDICAID FRAUD CRACKDOWN

Authorities said Said and his co-conspirators billed Medicaid for services that were never provided, weren’t properly recorded or were backed by fake paperwork. Investigators also allege the group billed for services that weren’t eligible for payment and charged more than they should have.

According to court documents, the scheme involved millions of dollars in fraudulent billing, including more than $4.6 million paid to one agency based on falsified documentation. Investigators also found nearly $1 million was billed for clients who denied receiving services, along with more than $300,000 in overbilling and more than $5.8 million in claims that were not documented or were fraudulently documented.

Court records show Said was convicted of Medicaid fraud in 2022, ordered to pay $77,000 and barred from working with any Medicaid-funded agency — a restriction prosecutors allege he later violated.

The case has raised new concerns about oversight of taxpayer-funded programs, as state leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, have faced mounting criticism over their handling of fraud in Minnesota.

The development comes amid broader concerns over fraud in Minnesota, including the sprawling “Feeding Our Future” case, in which prosecutors allege defendants created fake meal programs and fraudulently claimed more than $250 million in federal funds.

Former Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson has suggested fraud across some programs could total billions of dollars, potentially reaching $9 billion.

State officials have faced ongoing questions about oversight of taxpayer-funded programs, with critics pointing to additional fraud cases involving Medicaid and welfare spending.

Ellison, whose office has brought multiple fraud cases, appeared before Congress earlier this year to address concerns about enforcement and oversight.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota for additional comment.

Continue Reading

Latest

Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Kelly Ripa’s secret signal, ‘Charlie’s Angels’ star on price of fame

Published

on

COLD SHOULDER – Kelly Ripa says she has a secret signal that tells Mark Consuelos she’s not in the mood.

PRICE OF STARDOM – ‘Charlie’s Angels’ star Kate Jackson says fame destroyed her privacy and forced her out of Hollywood.

FAMILY EMERGENCY – Tori Spelling, children taken to hospital after Southern California car crash.

FROZEN PERIL – ‘Deadliest Catch’ deckhand cause of death revealed.

BEHIND THE RUNWAY – Paulina Porizkova says modeling taught her to ‘do as you’re told’ including taking off her clothes.

FOLLOW THE FOX ENTERTAINMENT TEAM ON X

ROCK BOTTOM – Neal Schon and bandmate Jonathan Cain battle lawsuits and politics as Journey’s farewell tour rolls on.

IN THE SUNSHINE – Kylie Jenner dazzles in daring white string bikini for poolside photos.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

AGELESS BEAUTY – Elizabeth Hurley strips down to bikini bottoms for racy photo while posing in a flower field.

GROUNDED – ‘Euphoria’ star Natasha Lyonne escorted off plane after appearing disoriented following show premiere: report.

CELEB ID CHECKCan you guess which ‘Catwoman’ actress had a ‘battle’ with Taylor Sheridan?

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Continue Reading

Latest

‘Charlie’s Angels’ star Cheryl Ladd defied producers with ‘tiniest bikini ever’ to make her point

Published

on

Cheryl Ladd found herself slipping into so many bikinis on the set of “Charlie’s Angels” that she decided to take matters into her own hands.

In 1977, the actress took on the role of Kris Munroe in the iconic series after producer Aaron Spelling chose her to play Farrah Fawcett’s younger sister. The series, which followed the adventures of a glamorous detective agency, starred Jaclyn Smith, David Doyle, Kate Jackson and Fawcett, who was leaving that year. The show aired until 1981.

“He liked me in a bikini,” Ladd, 74, said about Spelling at the Paley Center’s PaleyFest L.A. panel celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Charlie’s Angels.”

GINA GERSHON WALKED AWAY FROM CULT HORROR FRANCHISE OVER ‘EXPLOITATIVE’ TOPLESS SCENE

The star admitted she wore so many two-pieces in scenes that “it was starting to p— me off.”

“I thought, ‘OK, how am I going to get out of this?’” Ladd recalled at the panel. “So, I went out and bought the tiniest little bikini ever seen on television at that point.”

Ladd knew it wouldn’t pass ABC censors. She did it anyway.

WATCH: ‘CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ STAR FARRAH FAWCETT BATTLED CANCER ‘TOOTH AND NAIL’ FOR HER SON REDMOND, ASSISTANT SAYS

“We filmed, and I heard Aaron’s not happy,” she said.

“At first, somebody came and told me Aaron said, ‘Tell the little troublemaker that she’s never going to do that again,’” she said. “And I didn’t. But I made my point. And when I was wearing a swimming suit, it was something I felt comfortable in.”

“Well, our ratings went up!” Smith, 80, quipped.

Spelling died in 2006 at 83.

Things got serious at the panel. For the first time, Ladd opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis.

“Mine was an aggressive form,” Ladd, who was accompanied by Jackson and Smith, said. “I had wonderful doctors. But I was bald for quite a while. It was a humbling experience.”

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

“I have a wonderful husband. All through it, he was there for me at every turn, and that makes a difference,” Ladd said, referring to her husband, Brian Russell. “Eventually, I started to get little sprouts of hair. It was like, ‘Oh, I’m getting hair!’ It was a long, long, hard road. But you just get through. You just get on with it.”

Not only do the three women share an unbreakable bond through their experience on the show, but they are all cancer survivors.

WATCH: ‘CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ STAR CHERYL LADD REVEALS HER FAVORITE MEMORIES FROM THE SET, SURPRISING NEW ROLE

“It just connects you because you know what they’re going through,” Smith, who was also diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent radiation treatment in 2002, said during an interview on the “Today” show. “And that’s when I talk about the power of girlfriends.”

When Ladd disclosed her diagnosis to her friends, Smith said she immediately empathized.

“The first thing I did was send her my wigs,” Smith shared. “She was so brave. She did have a very aggressive form [of cancer].”

“It’s really important to understand and embrace not being afraid of getting a mammogram,” Jackson, a two-time breast cancer survivor, added. “Early detection is key. Find it early enough, and you’ll probably be all right.”

Ladd, Jackson and Smith also paid tribute to Fawcett, who appeared as one of the main Angels in the first season of the series. The actress died in 2009 at age 62 following a battle with anal cancer.

“Oh, I feel so proud. I feel appreciative. I feel we did something right,” Smith told Fox News Digital ahead of the panel. “And I feel I’m still standing here. And life has been interesting. It’s been a beautiful journey. Truly, I have two beautiful kids, a great husband and three granddaughters. So I’m riding high. And, you know, I think things are — ‘Charlie’s Angels’ was meant to be. I have no regrets.”

In 2021, Ladd opened up to Fox News Digital about her meaningful friendships with her former co-stars.

“It’s really interesting because when you do something so specific, so iconic, and you are in it when it was huge — it is something you can explain to people, but until you’ve done it, it is different,” she continued.

“We think back often about how crazy that time was. We had to go into restaurants through the back door. We weren’t prepared for how much people would love the show. It was wonderful, but it was wild.”

Despite achieving fame in Hollywood, Ladd said her faith in God has always played a significant role in her life.

“It has been all of it,” she said. “I knew who I was as a young girl. I would climb to the top of the tree and talk to God all the time. It has been an interesting path — a lot of good, a lot of bumps, a lot of tough learning moments.

‘CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ STAR KATE JACKSON SAYS FAME DESTROYED HER PRIVACY AND FORCED HER OUT OF HOLLYWOOD

“He [God] was with me the whole time. He lets us trip ourselves so we remember that He is in charge. I think that is a good thing, especially in our youth, when we aren’t exactly thinking everything through.”

Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Latest

Iran’s supreme leader severely disfigured by US strikes: report

Published

on

Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is severely disfigured after suffering leg and face injuries as a result of joint U.S.-Israel airstrikes on Tehran in February, Reuters reported Saturday.

Khamenei is recovering after incurring the injuries in the February 28 airstrikes that killed his father, former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei. He has not been seen publicly since being hospitalized.

Despite the injuries, Khamenei allegedly remains “mentally sharp,” Reuters reported, citing a trio of anonymous sources within his inner circle. The new supreme leader is in communication with the Iranian delegation in Pakistan for peace talks with a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance.

The Reuters report corroborates an earlier statement from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who told reporters on March 13 that Khamenei was “likely disfigured.”

IRAN POSTPONES TEHRAN FAREWELL CEREMONY FOR KHAMENEI WHERE LARGE CROWDS WERE EXPECTED TO GATHER

He then reiterated the claim in a Thursday press conference while outlining the U.S. military’s achievements in Iran.

“Their top leadership was systematically eliminated, their previous Iranian supreme leader dead, the supreme national security council secretary dead, the supreme leader office advisor dead, the supreme leader military office chief dead, the defense minister no longer with us, the IRGC commander dead, the armed forces general staff commander dead, the intelligence minister dead, the IRGC navy commander no longer here, the IRGC Intel chief dead,” Hegseth listed.

“I skipped over a bunch, and I could go on and on and on, to include the new — so-called new supreme leader, wounded and disfigured. This new regime was out of options and out of time, so they cut a deal.”

NEW IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER ‘LIKELY DISFIGURED,’ HEGSETH SAYS

Despite his weakened condition, Khamenei vowed to put up resistance in a defiant written statement Thursday.

“Iran is not seeking war but will not forfeit its rights and considers all resistance fronts as a unified entity,” the statement read.

Hegseth dismissed the statement as “weak” in his March press conference.

EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE SAYS REGIME IS ‘CRUMBLING’ AFTER KILLING OF KHAMENEI, OTHER LEADERS

“It was a written statement. Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement?” Hegseth asked. “I think you know why. His father, dead. He’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run and he lacks legitimacy. It’s a mess for them. Who’s in charge? Iran may not even know.”

Sources reportedly told Reuters that Khamenei could enter the public spotlight in a month or two, but only if “his health and the security situation allowed.

While many publicly question where and when we may see the supreme leader again, Iranian hardliners stress the importance of him keeping a low-profile.

“Why should he ​appear in public? To become a target for these criminals?” an Iranian militiaman asked Reuters in a text message.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2026 Political Signal