Man charged in Medicaid fraud scheme previously received Minnesota ‘Outstanding Refugee Award’

A man now charged in a more than $1 million Medicaid fraud case, in which some defendants have also been linked to a sex trafficking operation, previously received an award from the state of Minnesota.

Thirty-year-old Salman Elmi faces five counts of aiding and abetting theft by misrepresentation and three counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle for allegedly billing over $1 million in Medicaid-funded services that were never provided or weren’t eligible for reimbursement.

RELATED: Charging documents show crossover between sex trafficking, Medicaid fraud schemes

Back in 2021, he re...