Seven Minnesota Providers Charged in Massive Nationwide Medicaid Fraud Enforcement Action

(KNSI) — Minnesota’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit charged seven health care providers with more than $700,000 combined in Medicaid fraud as part of a nationwide enforcement action coordinated with the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to the filings:

Ahmed Agwa of Blaine faces six felony theft charges for allegedly billing more than $94,000 for personal care services, including more than 588 hours billed while he was out of the country, more than 3,400 hours while the recipient was out of the country, and nearly 100 hours billed after the recipient had died.

Shawki Elsaid of Blaine faces eight theft and two identity theft charges for allegedly submitting more than 1,600 fraudulent claims totaling more than $182,000, including billing for services while he or the recipient was out of the country and using others’ identities to bill for services that were never provided.

Tremayne Lamar Jackson of St. Paul faces seven felony theft charges for allegedly billing more than $125,000 for personal care, companion, and homemaker services he could not have provided, including claims filed during the nearly two years he worked as a college basketball coach in Kansas.

Fernando Navarro of Minneapolis faces four felony theft charges for allegedly billing nearly $70,000 for personal care services provided to a child for more than two years after the child had moved to California.

Christine Marie Pryor of Fargo, North Dakota, faces six theft and six identity theft charges for allegedly billing more than $150,000 for psychotherapy and drug counseling services she had no license to provide. Pryor allegedly used the credentials of three licensed professionals without their knowledge and billed for services to more than 160 Medicaid clients.

Edward Sherrod of Columbia Heights faces six felony theft charges for allegedly billing more than $60,000 for more than 3,500 hours of personal care services that were never provided, including time when he was working another job or providing services to a different client in a different location.

Jessica Wavra of East Grand Forks faces five theft charges for allegedly billing more than $29,000 for mental health and case management services she did not provide.

The charges are part of National Health Care Fraud Takedown Day, in which the U.S. Department of Justice and more than 40 state Medicaid fraud units participated. Nationally, 455 defendants across 45 states and territories face charges in schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in false claims.

The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting all seven cases.

Since 2019, Minnesota’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has secured more than 340 convictions and recovered $90 million in judgments. In May, Governor Tim Walz signed the Medical Assistance Protection Act, giving the unit new resources and stronger legal tools to pursue fraud cases.

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