Michael Marick repays taxpayers full $106K in wrongfully obtained public assistance

AG Ellison’s Office won criminal conviction of fraudster after referral from Itasca County Attorney — Marick pleaded guilty in July 2026 to defrauding Medicare and SNAP for 9 years

September 14, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced today that Michael John Marick has repaid the full amount of $106,098.62 of public assistance that he wrongfully obtained from 2014 to 2023. In so doing, Marick satisfied one part of the sentence that Itasca County District Court imposed today in response to his guilty plea to one count of wrongfully obtaining public assistance in excess of $35,000 that Attorney General Ellison’s Office secured on July 13, 2026. The court also imposed two years of probation.

In April 2014, Marick applied for Medical Assistance (MA) and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and received those benefits through Itasca County on an ongoing basis between then and September 2023. Marick intentionally misrepresented his employment status and monthly income to fraudulently meet the eligibility requirements. Marick’s actual monthly income was substantially higher than he disclosed and consistently above the limits for receiving public assistance. The overpayment of benefits to Marick between April 2014 and September 2023 totaled $106,098.62.

Attorney General Ellison’s office criminally prosecuted Marick upon a referral from Itasca County Attorney Jacob Fauchald under Minnesota Statutes section 8.01, which provides, “Upon request of the county attorney, the attorney general shall appear in court in such criminal cases as the attorney general deems proper.” The authority vested in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office is primarily civil.  Aside from referrals submitted under section 8.01 and Medicaid fraud, the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office does not have authority to prosecute most criminal acts. That authority generally rests with county and city attorneys.

“Stealing taxpayers’ money that’s meant to help low-income Minnesotans be healthy and put food on the table is reprehensible,” said Attorney General Ellison. “Taxpayers deserve their money back and that’s what we got here, in full. I will continue to use all the tools in civil and criminal law at my disposal to protect Minnesota tax dollars and the services Minnesotans rely on.”

Attorney General Ellison thanks the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Itasca County Human Health and Services, who assisted in the investigation and successful prosecution of this crime.