Attorney General Ellison partners with federal law enforcement in Medicaid fraud charges against Asha Hassan

Federal law enforcement worked closely with AG Ellison’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to investigate and execute search warrants

September 24, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today released information about the role his office played in helping secure the federal charges levied against Asha Hassan for her role defrauding the Minnesota medical assistance (Medicaid) program through her Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (“EIDBI”) agency, Smart Therapy.

Hassan used Smart Therapy to bill for Medicaid-funded services purportedly provided to people under the age of 21 with autism spectrum disorder. In reality, Smart Therapy billed for services not rendered at all, services that were inflated, and services that were only rendered through Smart Therapy because the parents received kickbacks for their child receiving services through Smart Therapy.

Members of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) assisted federal enforcement, including the FBI and Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (DHHS/OIG) throughout the course of their investigation. Most prominently with respect to Smart Therapy, this included executing search warrants at numerous sites in December 2024. In addition to conducting its own investigations and prosecuting instances of Medicaid fraud, Attorney General Ellison’s MFCU frequently assists in federal Medicaid fraud investigations by conducting interviews with key figures, analyzing data, reviewing evidence, executing search warrants, and more.

“I care deeply about helping folks afford their lives, and it is outrageous when people steal from programs meant to support their low-income neighbors,” said Attorney General Keith Ellison. “I am proud of the work my office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit did to help secure today’s criminal charges and I will continue working to go after fraudsters and protect our tax dollars.”

Attorney General Ellison’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit works to uncover, investigate, and prosecute individuals or organizations that steal from Medicaid and that exploit, neglect, or abuse vulnerable victims. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $4,409,872 for Federal fiscal year (FY)2025. The remaining 25%, totaling $1,469,955 for FY 2025, is funded by the State of Minnesota.  

An information is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.