Authorities are searching for Abdirashid Ismail Said, 50, after he missed a pre-trial hearing in Hennepin County this week, forcing the court to move ahead with a warrant and bond forfeiture. The case, tied to an alleged Minnesota Medicaid fraud scheme involving nearly $11 million, took a sharp turn when Said did not appear as scheduled, and M now sits at the center of a widening enforcement effort. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office is working with federal law enforcement to locate Said and bring the case back on track.
Bond forfeited after missed court date
Court records and statements from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office show that Said failed to appear for the hearing and forfeited his $150, 000 bond. The missed appearance also canceled a jury trial that had been set to begin next week. Prosecutors say the bond amount was set at the unconditional level, while a lower conditional bond would have required Said to surrender his passport.
Investigators had already raised concerns that Said might flee. The criminal complaint cites family ties outside the United States, including a wife and child in Nairobi, Kenya. A detective wrote in the filing that, given the severity of the charges and Said’s ties outside Minnesota, there was a potential he could flee, hide, or otherwise prevent execution of the warrant. M appears in the case again here, as the search for Said now becomes the immediate focus.
What prosecutors say happened
Prosecutors charged Said with racketeering and multiple counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle in connection with an alleged scheme that defrauded Minnesota’s Medicaid program of nearly $11 million. The complaint says the conduct ran from 2019 through 2023 and involved multiple Medicaid-funded home health care agencies that Said allegedly operated while barred from working with such programs after a prior fraud conviction.
Authorities say the billing included services that were never provided, not properly recorded, backed by fake paperwork, or not eligible for payment. Investigators also allege the group charged more than it should have. One agency received more than $4. 6 million based on falsified documentation, nearly $1 million was billed for clients who denied receiving services, more than $300, 000 involved overbilling, and more than $5. 8 million in claims were not documented or were fraudulently documented.
Official reaction from Minnesota
Ellison said that the warrant was issued after Said missed the hearing and that his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is working with federal law enforcement to locate him. He called the development “a deeply frustrating setback” and said he remains committed to holding Said and other Medicaid fraudsters accountable.
Court records also show that Said was convicted of Medicaid fraud in 2022, ordered to pay $77, 000, and barred from working with Medicaid programs. That earlier conviction is now part of the backdrop to the current case and the concern that M could mark another stalled chapter before trial.
Quick context on the broader case
Officials have described the prosecution as the largest-ever Medicaid fraud case charged by the Minnesota Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Said is one of three people charged in the matter, and two others, Ali Abdirizak Ahmed and Said Awil Ibrahim, also face racketeering and aiding-and-abetting theft by swindle charges.
What happens next
The immediate question is whether authorities can locate Said and bring him back before the court. With the warrant now in place and the bond forfeited, the case moves into a more uncertain phase, but prosecutors say the effort to hold Said accountable continues. For now, M marks a case under pressure, with the next step likely to depend on whether Said is found and returned to Hennepin County proceedings.
