Minnesota Faces Alleged Fraud in Medical Transport and Interpreter Services
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Investigators and researchers like Hoch and YouTuber Nick Shirley allege widespread fraud in Minnesota's non-emergency medical transport and interpreter services, where nearly 900 Somali-owned firms—often without real operations—bill Medicaid for nonexistent rides and overcharge for interpreters at $100 per hour minimum. This builds on a state scandal with over 90 federal indictments since 2020 for schemes stealing hundreds of millions from programs like child nutrition and autism therapy, mostly involving Somali-Americans, amid claims of empty day cares receiving millions. While DHS has frozen enrollments, revoked licenses, and started reviews, critics say the fraud is overstated and unfairly targets a community of over 100,000, as federal probes and audits continue.
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Vigilant Fox 🦊
@VigilantFox

REPORT: The Somali fraud scandal keeps on dripping, and it’s not just daycare centers anymore.

We’re now learning that dozens of Somali transport companies are taking government funds — while transporting NO ONE.

David Hoch visited 70 of them, and he was stunned to discover that they “DON’T EXIST.”

And when you add interpreters for doctors’ appointments to the mix, the money being sucked out of the system adds up quickly.

Hoch explains:

“When a Somali goes to the doctor, magically they forgot how to speak English, so they need an interpreter there. So the county brings in an interpreter at $100 an hour, minimum eight hours, to interpret what the doctor is telling the patient.”

“Then remember, the interpreter has to get to the doctor’s office or the hospital. How are they getting there? The transportation company. And then they’ve got to get back home, and that patient has to get to the doctor’s office. How? Transportation.”

“Almost 900 of [the transportation companies] are Somali-owned… Nick Shirley and I went to 16 of them. I’ve actually been to about 70 of them. They don’t exist.”

https://x.com/VigilantFox/status/2010895122850775326