A Minnesota state senator from the Republican party has sharply criticized a judge, labeling her as a “true extremist” following her decision to overturn a conviction involving a $7.2 million fraud case.
Abdifatah Yusuf and his wife, Lul Ahmed, faced charges in June 2024, accused of defrauding the state’s Medicaid program of $7.2 million through their home healthcare business. According to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, the business lacked a physical office and operated for years solely via a mailbox.
The office detailed how Yusuf allegedly manipulated the Medicaid system by submitting bills for services that were either not rendered or insufficiently documented, as well as overcharging for various services.
Prosecutors allege that Yusuf used the illicitly obtained funds to support a luxurious lifestyle, indulging in shopping sprees at high-end retailers like Coach, Michael Kors, Nike, and Nordstrom.
In a controversial move, Judge Sarah West reversed the conviction of Abdifatah Yusuf, a decision that has sparked significant debate. (Minnesota Courts and Google Maps)
The attorney general’s office reported that Yusuf funneled over $1 million from the business into his personal account and withdrew more than $387,000 in cash.
A jury convicted Yusuf of six counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle, over $35,000, in August. However, that decision was thrown out by Judge Sarah West in a mid-November ruling, according to KARE.
In her decision, West wrote that prosecutors “relied heavily on circumstantial evidence,” adding that the state didn’t rule out other potential “reasonable inferences.”
The judge added she was, however, “troubled by the manner in which fraud was able to be perpetuated at Promise Health.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison arrives to speak on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. His office has filed an appeal of West’s decision to overturn Yusuf’s verdict. (Getty Images)
Republican Minnesota Sen. Michael Holmstrom said in an interview that West is a “true extremist.”
“Judicial reform is necessary in Minnesota… This wasn’t an extreme situation,” Holmstrom told Fox News Digital. “This is just how she operates.”
“I think that she is a true extremist, that her ideology is running her courtroom and damaging our justice system. People in Minnesota are questioning whether or not the judicial system can be trusted. And with judges like this, I see why,” he added.
Holmstrom said he noticed one of the sealed exhibits in Yusuf’s case contained an international money order to an undisclosed person in an unknown country. Holmstrom said he made a request to see the exhibit, which hasn’t yet been granted.
“I want to know what happened, and I think Minnesotans honestly deserve to know what their tax money is going to fund and how these remittances are working,” he said.
Holmstrom added that he was “outraged” upon hearing West had reversed Yusuf’s conviction, arguing she was “outside her authority” to make the decision.
Ben Walfoort, the jury foreperson in Yusuf’s case, said the decision to convict wasn’t a complicated one.
“It was not a difficult decision whatsoever,” he said, according to KARE. “The deliberation took probably four hours at most. Based off of the state’s evidence that was presented, it was beyond a reasonable doubt,” Walfoort said. “I am shocked. I’m shocked based off of all of the evidence that was presented to us and the obvious guilt that we saw based off of the said evidence.”
Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison at a news conference on June 3, 2020. ( REUTERS/Eric Miller)
The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, led by Democrat Keith Ellison, has filed an appeal of West’s decision to overturn Yusuf’s verdict.
Minnesota has grappled with fraud problems, including the Feeding Our Future scheme, which involved hundreds of millions of dollars in embezzled COVID-19 funds. The alleged fraud stems from Minnesota’s Medicaid Housing Stabilization Services program, Feeding Our Future and other organizations.
President Donald Trump on Nov. 21 terminated deportation protections for Somalis in Minnesota, claiming that “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing.”
His decision came after a report from the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, alleged that millions of dollars were being funneled to Al-Shabaab, a Somali terror group, related to the Feeding Our Future scam.
Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for West and Yusuf’s attorney for comment.
Yusuf’s attorney, Ian Birrell, said West made the correct decision, adding his client was wrongly accused.
“Judge West’s ruling affirms what we have maintained from the beginning: our client Mr. Yusuf was wrongfully accused and did not commit fraud or racketeering,” he said, KARE reported. “The Court’s decision to enter judgments of acquittal on all charges reflects the fundamental principle that justice requires both fairness and proof. We appreciate the Court’s careful attention to the evidence and the law.”
