MINNEAPOLIS — Federal officials said on Friday that their work against fraud in Minnesota is widening, as the long-running Feeding Our Future case reached a total of 81 people charged and more than $500 million in fraud, according to the Justice Department and the FBI.
FBI Director Kash Patel presented those figures on October 30. Officials made clear that the numbers are cumulative totals for the broader case. They were not all announced on Friday, and they do not describe only one day of arrests or charges. Of the 81 people charged in total, 70 have been convicted, according to the FBI.
Friday marked a new phase in the work. Investigators executed 17 search warrants in a single day and arrested four people accused of Medicaid fraud. Officials said the new phase also includes more subpoenas, closer scrutiny of finances, and cash rewards for whistleblowers who come forward with information.
In a related part of the crackdown, the Treasury and the Justice Department pointed to a 26-count indictment and four arrests tied to more than $41 million in intended fraud and $21.65 million in actual losses. Those arrests were linked to an FBI operation in Minneapolis on October 29, according to officials.
The figures show a steady pace of cases in recent weeks. Since September 30, prosecutors have charged, convicted or sentenced 13 defendants in cases involving nearly $83 million in intended losses, according to the Justice Department. This year alone in Minnesota, the department said it has issued more than 1,000 subpoenas and executed more than 40 warrants to search premises.
Several agencies are taking part in the work. They include the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, investigators from the Department of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security Investigations, the Postal Inspection Service, and partners in Minnesota. Officials said the agencies are sharing information and following money across many cases.
The allegations cover a wide range of claims. Investigators say some providers billed Medicaid for services that were never delivered. In other cases, claims were made while providers or recipients were travelling. Other allegations include kickbacks paid to parents and false records created to support claims. All charges are allegations until they are proven in court.
Officials said the problem reaches beyond one programme. They said it extends across Medicaid, SNAP, autism services, housing assistance and other public programmes. That wide reach, they said, is why so many agencies are involved and why the new phase focuses on financial records and on people who may know about fraud from inside.
The Feeding Our Future figures remain the best known part of the wider effort, but officials presented Friday’s steps as part of a broader crackdown rather than a single case. The search warrants, arrests and indictment described this week sit alongside the older charges and convictions that make up the cumulative totals.
No further court dates were detailed in the announcements. Officials said more subpoenas and financial scrutiny will follow, and they urged whistleblowers to come forward. Further details on the cases are available through the Justice Department news page. The defendants in the new cases are expected to face the charges in court, where prosecutors will have to prove the allegations.
