Photo Credit: New York Post / Abdifatah Abdulkadir Yusuf/ August 2025 trial
(MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.) – Hennepin County Judge Sarah West’s decision to dismiss six guilty verdicts against Abdifatah Abdulkadir Yusuf for Medicaid fraud was overturned by the Minnesota Court of Appeals on October 26.
Yusuf and his brother Mohamed were named in a $7.2 million Medicaid fraud case involving his business, Promise Health. He is known to have pocketed over $1 million from company accounts, including making more than $400k in retail purchases.
The company, a Medicaid-funded home health service, was accused of making 40,000+ fraudulent claims in three years. Evidence showed patient documentation was frequently falsified, and many patients were billed through Medicaid social programs for services and hours of assistance they never received.
Additionally, investigators found that Promise Health lacked a physical location, a requirement for any Medicaid provider. The jury in the August 2025 trial convicted Yusuf on six counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindling.
West believed Yusuf’s brother had orchestrated the fraud without Yusuf’s knowledge or assistance. Other appellate judges disagreed, concluding that all the evidence supports the idea that Yusuf knowingly participated in the Medicaid scheme.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) led the fight to reverse the dismissal of the guilty verdicts in the fraud case, felt justice was back on track.
“I’m very pleased with the Court of Appeals decision today.” Ellison said, “My Medicaid fraud-fighting team and I feel strongly that we presented more than ample evidence at trial of Yusuf’s guilt, so we felt it imperative to appeal the district court’s entry of a judgment of acquittal.”
The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruling sends the case back to the Hennepin County District Court, where the six guilty verdicts will be reinstated. While this isn’t a final sentencing, the reversal of the verdict dismissals means the case against Yusuf will proceed to sentencing in district court with those verdicts restored.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at kristin.h@lead4earth.org.
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