One in 31 U.S. children has an autism diagnosis. Among Minnesota’s Somali community, that number jumps to one in 12.
That discrepancy made headlines last fall when the Department of Justice charged a Somali woman with netting millions in fraudulent autism services. Now, state and federal investigators are putting autism spending in the spotlight.
The September 2025 federal indictment alleged that a therapy center—run by 28-year-old Asha Farhan Hassan—recruited Somali children for an autism services program that was then reimbursed by Medicaid.
The White House pointed to the indictment on March 16 in an executive order announcing the creation of a federal task force to eliminate fraud….
In Charts: Audits Spotlight Unusual Trends in Medicaid Spending for Autism Care
