Minnesota Judge overturns $7.2M taxpayer-fraud conviction of Somali man

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OAN Staff Cory Hawkins and Brooke Mallory

OAN
6:11 PM – Wednesday, December 3, 2025

A Hennepin County judge appointed by Democrat Governor Tim Walz has overturned a jury’s guilty verdict against a Somali man convicted of orchestrating a $7.2 million Medicaid fraud scheme, prompting outrage from jurors, Republican lawmakers, and even some Democrats.

Abdifatah Yusuf, 44, the central figure in the Medicaid fraud case, is a Somali immigrant who settled in Minnesota in the early 2000s. His wife, Lul Ahmed, 41, who also played a role in the scheme, comes from a similar background.

On November 14th, District Judge Sarah West issued a 55-page order acquitting Yusuf on all six counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle, despite a jury finding him guilty in August last year after deliberating for less than two hours.

Yusuf was released immediately following the ruling.