Omar ran barefoot but got caught and is facing the alleged fraud consequences

Barefoot Muhammad Omar in Minnesota fraud scheme
 captured hours after fleeing FBI in caught-on-camera escape

One of the fraud suspects in Minnesota, thought he could fly. He leaped without a cape from a fourth-floor balcony to escape arrest on Thursday morning and just a few hours later, was captured and in custody. Is this something an innocent person would do? 

“After today’s interagency press conference announcing 15 public healthcare fraud indictments in Minnesota, the below subject who was on the run, Muhammad Omar, has now been arrested,” Patel wrote on X, including a photo of the suspect hobbling while holding one shoe.

“He is charged with healthcare fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1349, 18 U.S.C. § 1347) involving a Housing Stabilization Services company – with fraudulent claims for services not provided and diverting the proceeds for personal benefit,” the FBI director added.

The miscreant? A dude named Muhammad Abdulqadir Omar [no relation that we know of to Ilhan Omar]. He's been charged with Medicaid fraud

So who is this Muhammad Omar? He's a Minnesota man accused of orchestrating a multimillion-dollar healthcare fraud scheme  and is becoming a very high profile defendant in the sweeping DOJ fraud crackdown.

Authorities arrested the 32-year-old Omar after he allegedly attempted to evade federal agents by exiting a building the same way Minnesota's public assistance funds have reportedly been leaving state accounts for years: rapidly and without explanation.

The arrest came as federal prosecutors unveiled indictments against 15 individuals accused of helping themselves to roughly $90 million through a variety of healthcare-related schemes. According to investigators, the suspects allegedly discovered a little-known government reimbursement program called "Just Send Us Money And Don't Ask Questions."

Government officials reportedly expressed relief that Omar had been found before accidentally receiving another state contract, possibly from his namesake.

Federal prosecutors allege Omar co-owned North Home Health Care LLC and operated South Home Health Care LLC, businesses accused of billing Medicaid for services that either never happened or occurred primarily in the imaginations of accountants. 

Court documents claim the companies submitted millions in questionable claims while providing taxpayers with the increasingly popular service known as "funding someone else's luxury purchases."

Investigators estimate North Home Health Care billed approximately $3.3 million and received about $3.2 million in reimbursements, a reimbursement rate experts described as "the sort of efficiency private businesses only dream about."

Authorities say Omar fled during a coordinated arrest operation but was later apprehended at a property connected to his business activities. Sources say agents located him by searching every place in Minnesota where government money had recently vanished.

The case is the latest chapter in Minnesota's ongoing fraud saga, a state tradition that now rivals ice fishing and apologizing for bumping into furniture. The most famous example remains the Feeding Our Future scandal, in which prosecutors alleged organizers somehow convinced the government that enormous numbers of meals were being served to children who appeared to exist only on spreadsheets.

That operation's alleged architect, Aimee Bock, was sentenced to more than 41 years in prison after prosecutors said she orchestrated a $250 million fraud scheme. State officials reportedly marked the occasion by lowering Minnesota's giant ceremonial "Days Since Massive Fraud Scandal" sign back to zero.

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MN fraud suspect on the run, forfeits bond

Joe Thompson was the lead prosecutor that helped uncover the massive $250 million Feeding Our Future food fraud case tied to the state's Somali community. (AP Newsroom)

Abdirashid Ismail Said allegedly ran multiple Medicaid-funded agencies despite being barred after a prior fraud conviction.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) recaps his confrontation with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison over alleged fraud in his state on 'Hannity.'

A man accused of orchestrating an $11 million Medicaid fraud scheme in Minnesota skipped a scheduled court appearance this week, prompting a warrant for his arrest, authorities said. Abdirashid Ismail Said, 50, failed to appear for a pre-trial hearing in Hennepin County, forfeiting his bond, according to FOX 9, citing the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that his office is working with federal authorities to locate Said.

"A warrant has been issued for Said's arrest after he failed to appear for a pre-trial hearing," Ellison told the outlet. "My Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is working with federal law enforcement to locate Said and ensure he faces justice for the fraud he committed. This is a deeply frustrating setback, however, I remain committed to doing everything I can to hold Said and other Medicaid fraudsters accountable."

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison speaks at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill. (Tom Brenner/AP Photo)

Said posted a $150,000 unconditional bond to avoid stricter conditions, including surrendering his passport, while a $50,000 conditional bond would have required it, according to FOX 9. Investigators also raised concerns about Said’s potential to flee, citing family ties abroad, according to FOX 9.

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, according to the criminal complaint.

The complaint alleges Said carried out the scheme, from 2019 through 2023, by secretly operating multiple Medicaid-funded home health care agencies despite being barred from working with such programs following a prior fraud conviction.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz fields questions during a press conference about federal detention of children at the State Capitol building on Feb. 3, 2026, in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Authorities said Said and his co-conspirators billed Medicaid for services that were never provided, weren’t properly recorded or were backed by fake paperwork. Investigators also allege the group billed for services that weren’t eligible for payment and charged more than they should have.

According to court documents, the scheme involved millions of dollars in fraudulent billing, including more than $4.6 million paid to one agency based on falsified documentation. Investigators also found nearly $1 million was billed for clients who denied receiving services, along with more than $300,000 in overbilling and more than $5.8 million in claims that were not documented or were fraudulently documented.

Court records show Said was convicted of Medicaid fraud in 2022, ordered to pay $77,000 and barred from working with any Medicaid-funded agency, a restriction prosecutors allege he later violated.

The case has raised new concerns about oversight of taxpayer-funded programs, as state leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, have faced mounting criticism over their handling of fraud in Minnesota.

The development comes amid broader concerns over fraud in Minnesota, including the sprawling "Feeding Our Future" case, in which prosecutors allege defendants created fake meal programs and fraudulently claimed more than $250 million in federal funds.

Former Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson has suggested fraud across some programs could total billions of dollars, potentially reaching $9 billion.

State officials have faced ongoing questions about oversight of taxpayer-funded programs, with critics pointing to additional fraud cases involving Medicaid and welfare spending.

Ellison, whose office has brought multiple fraud cases, appeared before Congress earlier this year to address concerns about enforcement and oversight.

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