Minnesota man honored as 'outstanding refugee' charged in Medicaid fraud case

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man who was once honored as an "outstanding refugee" by the Minnesota Department of Human Services and has a startup with funding from a Shark Tank star is now facing Medicaid fraud charges in a case that has links to a sex trafficking case.

Fraud charges filed

What we know:

Salman Ahmed Elmi was charged last week with three counts of aiding and abetting by swindle and five counts of aiding and abetting by false representation.

He made his first court appearance on Monday. Authorities say some of Elmi's co-conspirators at Reva Health in Golden Valley have connections to a sex trafficking ring bust last week.

The backstory:

Elmi is accused of billing Medicaid for more than $1 million in services that were not provided or not eligible. Reva Health provided autism services and adult rehabilitative mental health services.

Elmi and the other co-conspirators are accused of falsifying documents to get Medicaid reimbursements. Prosecutors say other co-conspirators directed staff to pay kickbacks to people to use their information for claims.

Big picture view:

The charges state two people involved in the fraud enterprise, former Anoka County prosecutor Andrea Sampson and Frank Devone Reeves, were also involved in a sex trafficking ring that was busted in Hennepin County last week.

Individuals charged in the case face a slew of charges and on Monday authorities said there could be many more victims who suffered as a result of that case.

Elmi was honored as ‘outstanding refugee’

Local perspective:

Archived records and Elmi's personal website show he received honors from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, which named him an "outstanding refugee" and honored him with an Entrepreneurship Award in 2021.

In a profile featured on DHS's website, which has since been removed and is only viewable via the Internet Archive, Elmi says: "I started a business to help inspire other people. No one owns businesses in my family; my entire family came here with the idea that the American dream was just getting a job and making it work, so shifting that mindset was difficult but important. Navigating those treacherous waters allowed me to provide for my family and work on my terms."

Dig deeper:

The charges also state that Elmi used the fact that he was a part owner of Minneapolis-based startup Tavolo to get the loan to start Reva Health.

Tavolo is a notable endeavor on its own because it has received funding from Shark Tank star Kevin O'Leary. A photo on Elmi's website shows him posing for a photo with O'Leary.

Elmi is listed as a founder of Tavolo, which is an AI marketing app for restaurants.