Minnesota judge called ‘extremist’ for overturning $7.2M fraud conviction
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A Republican state senator in Minnesota called a judge who overturned a $7.2 million taxpayer fraud conviction a “real extremist.”
Abdifatah Yusuf and his wife, Lul Ahmed, were accused of stealing $7.2 million from the state’s Medicaid program in June 2024 while running a home health care business. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office said the business did not have an office building and operated “out of a mailbox for years.”
The attorney general’s office said Yusuf received the Medicaid money by billing for services that were not provided and for services that did not include “any documentation” and overbilled for services.
Youssef allegedly used the money to fund a “lavish lifestyle,” including shopping sprees at luxury stores like Coach, Michael Kors, Nike, Nordstrom and more.
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Judge Sarah West overturned Abdifatah Yusuf’s decision. (Minnesota Courts and Google Maps)
The attorney general’s office said Yusuf transferred more than $1 million from his business account to his personal account and also withdrew more than $387,000 in cash.
A jury found Yousuf guilty in August on six counts of aiding and abetting theft by fraud over $35,000. However, that decision was overturned in a ruling by Judge Sarah West in mid-November. SQUARE.
West wrote in his decision that prosecutors “relied largely on circumstantial evidence,” adding that the state did not rule out other possible “reasonable inferences.”
The judge added, however, that he was “disturbed by the manner in which fraud was perpetuated at Promise Health.”
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison arrives on stage to speak during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 21, 2024. His office appealed West’s decision to overturn Yusuf’s decision. (Getty Images)
Republican Minnesota Sen. Michael Holmstrom said in an interview that West was “a true extremist.”
“Judicial reform is necessary in Minnesota… This was not an extreme situation,” Holmstrom told Fox News Digital. “That’s how it works.”
“I think he is a true extremist, that his ideology rules the courtroom and is damaging to our justice system. People in Minnesota are questioning whether the judicial system can be trusted. And with judges like this, I understand why,” he added.
Holmstrom said he noticed that one of the sealed exhibits in Yousef’s bag contained an international money order sent to an undisclosed person in an unknown country. Holmstrom said he made a request to see the exhibit, which has not yet been accepted.
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“I want to know what happened, and I think Minnesotans really deserve to know what their tax money is going to fund and how these transfers work,” he said.
Holmstrom added that he was “outraged” to hear that West had overturned the conviction, arguing that Yusuf was “beyond his authority” to make the decision.
Ben Walfoort, foreman of the jury in Yusuf’s trial, said the conviction was not complicated.
“It wasn’t a difficult decision by any means,” he said, according to KARE. “The negotiation probably lasted four hours at most. Based on the evidence presented by the state, it was beyond a reasonable doubt,” Walfoort said. he said. “I’m shocked. I’m shocked at all the evidence presented to us and the obvious sense of guilt we see based on said evidence.”
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Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison at a press conference on June 3, 2020. (REUTERS/Eric Miller)
The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, led by Democrat Keith Ellison, appealed West’s decision to overturn Yusuf’s ruling.
Minnesota has been plagued by fraud problems, including the Feeding Our Future plan, which involved hundreds of millions of dollars in misappropriated COVID-19 funds. The alleged fraud stems from Minnesota’s Medicaid Housing Stability Services program, Feeding Our Future and other organizations.
President Donald Trump ended deportation protections for Somalis in Minnesota on November 21, claiming that “Somali gangs were terrorizing the people of that great state and billions of dollars were missing.”
The decision follows a report from the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, that alleged millions of dollars were funneled to Al-Shabaab, a Somali terrorist group, in the Feeding Our Future scam.
Fox News Digital has reached out to a representative for West and Yousef’s attorney for comment.
Yusuf’s lawyer, Ian Birrell, said West made the right decision and his client was wrongly accused.
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“Judge West’s decision confirms what we have argued all along: Our client, Mr. Yusuf, was falsely accused and did not commit fraud or racketeering,” he said, according to KARE. “The court’s decision to acquit on all charges reflects the fundamental principle that justice requires both fairness and evidence. We appreciate the court’s attention to evidence and the law.”
