In a dramatic turn connected to the $250 million Feeding Our Future child meal fraud case, the FBI raided two Minnesota autism centers—Smart Therapy Center in Minneapolis and Star Autism Center in St. Cloud. The facilities stand accused of milking Medicaid dry through fraudulent claims for autism services, some allegedly never provided.
According to the FBI, Smart Therapy received $13.8 million in questionable Medicaid reimbursements since 2020. Whistleblowers revealed brazen tactics, including recruiting non-autistic children, paying parents to enroll their kids, and billing for services supposedly rendered by overseas providers. One owner reportedly has ties to a key figure already convicted in the Feeding Our Future scandal.
The fraud isn’t isolated. Star Autism Center allegedly raked in $6 million, with improbable claims like billing 430 hours for a single provider in one month across two cities. The Minnesota Department of Human Services flagged irregularities as early as 2022, yet both centers continued operating until the FBI’s intervention.
Medicaid spending on autism centers in Minnesota has skyrocketed from $32.4 million in 2020 to $228 million in 2024, raising serious questions about oversight. While charges are yet to be filed, these raids underscore a shocking pattern of exploitation in programs meant to support vulnerable children.
