The Justice Department on Thursday charged eight people with wire fraud for their roles in Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization program.“Today we announce the first wave of charges in a massive fraud in Minnesota’s housing stabilization program,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “I want to be clear on the scope of the crisis. What we see are schemes stacked upon schemes, draining resources meant for those in need. It feels never ending. I have spent my career as a fraud prosecutor and the depth of the fraud in Minnesota takes my breath away. The fraud must be stopped.”Here are the defendants:Defendant Moktar Hassan Aden, age 30Defendant Mustafa Dayib Ali, age 29Defendant Khalid Ahmed Dayib, age 26Defendant Abdifitah Mohamud Mohamed, age 27Defendant Christopher Adesoji Falade, age 62Defendant Emmanuel Oluwademilade Falade, age 32Defendant Asad Ahmed Adow, age 26Defendant Anwar Ahmed Adow, age 25According to federal prosecutors, Minnesota’s Housing Stability Services Program had such low entry barriers that it was susceptible to fraud.“As set forth in the charging documents, the defendants devised and carried out schemes to defraud federally funded health care benefits collected within Minnesota’s Housing Stability Services Program. The HSS Program dates back to July 2022, when Minnesota became the first state in the country to offer Medicaid coverage for Housing Stabilization Services. The Program was designed to help people with disabilities, including seniors and people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders, find and maintain housing. Rather than provide such help, the defendants obtained and misappropriated millions of dollars in program funds that were intended as reimbursements for services provided to those people,” the Justice Department said. “A federal investigation revealed that many Program providers defrauded the system. These providers acquired the names of Program-eligible beneficiaries from facilities like addiction treatment centers. They then used those individuals’ information to submit inflated and fake reimbursement claims. In this fashion, the providers acquired substantial pay-outs of taxpayer money to which they were not entitled. They used those ill-gotten gains for their own enrichment,” the DOJ said.The defendants used the stolen taxpayer money to fund their lavish lifestyles.Click here for details about government’s charges against the 8 defendants.The post DOJ Charges 8 People with Wire Fraud in First Wave in Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Fraud Cases… Here Are the Defendants appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.