‘A Magnet for Fraud’: Criminals Flocked to Minnesota to Cash In On ‘Easy Money’ Fraud Schemes, Federal Prosecutor Says While Announcing New Charges
Two Philadelphians allegedly traveled to the North Star State after learning it was easy to defraud
Jessica Costescu
December 18, 2025
Minnesota has "developed a fraud tourism industry" that entices scammers to travel to the North Star State to exploit "easy money" taxpayer-funded programs, Joe Thompson, the federal prosecutor behind the Somali fraud convictions, said Thursday. He unveiled charges against six new defendants, including two who were based in Philadelphia.
Federal prosecutors accused Anthony Waddell Jefferson and Lester Brown of traveling to Minneapolis to enroll sham companies in Minnesota’s federally funded Housing Stabilization Services program after hearing it was "a good opportunity to make money." The pair then returned to Philadelphia where they allegedly submitted up to $3.5 million in "fake and inflated" Medicaid reimbursement bills. They both face wire fraud charges.
"Minnesota has become a magnet for fraud, so much so that we have developed a fraud tourism industry—people coming to our state purely to exploit and defraud its programs," Thompson said. "This is a deeply unsettling reality that all Minnesotans should understand."
"Mr. Jefferson and Brown were residents of Philadelphia who had no connection to Minnesota, except that they heard Minnesota and its housing stabilization services program was easy money," Thompson added.
https://freebeacon.com/democrats/fraud-tourism-industry-criminals-flocked-to-minnesota-to-cash-in-on-easy-money-fraud-schemes-federal-prosecutor-says-while-announcing-new-charges/
