‘Outstanding Refugee’ Of Minnesota Faces Criminal Fraud Charges

The winner of the Minnesota 2021 “Outstanding Refugee” award has now been charged with Medicaid fraud and is tied to a sex-trafficking ring. 

Salman Ahmed Elmi, a 30-year-old refugee from Somalia, won “Outstanding Refugee” in entrepreneurship award from the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Now, he faces three counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle and five counts of aiding and abetting theft by false representation, CBS News reported on Tuesday.

The state website has since removed the page featuring Elmi’s award. The Minnesota Department of Human Services did not immediately respond to The Daily Wire’s request for comment as to whether it plans to revoke the award. 

A criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County accuses Elmi — along with Frank Reeves, Viktoriya Komonash, and Andrea Sampson — of billing more than $4.5 million to Medicaid since 2023 through their four agencies: Reva Health, Reva Autism, Helpful Housing, and Homefelt Assisted Living. The fraud scheme focused on recruiting young women struggling with homelessness, addiction, or financial issues into a pay for sex scheme. 

The complaint alleges that Elmi, Reeves, Komonash, and Sampson used the identities of sex trafficking victims to rent apartments and make claims to Medicaid.

“I started a business to help inspire other people,” Elmi said in the now-removed post on the Minnesota DHS website. “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.”

A spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Human Services told Fox News that Elmi’s actions do not reflect the goal of the “Outstanding Refugee Awards.”

“Salman Elmi’s alleged actions are disturbing and do not reflect the goal of the Outstanding Refugee Awards,” the spokesman said, adding, “They also do not represent Minnesota’s refugee community. We are surrounded by neighbors, coworkers, employees and friends with powerful stories of resilience in the face of difficult circumstances, who are showing leadership in small as well as large ways to improve their communities. The Outstanding Refugee Awards were a way to recognize some of the individuals who make Minnesota better for all of us.”

The spokesman said there was no financial benefit tied to the award.

“The value came from the opportunity to recognize the courage, resilience and entrepreneurship of refugees and their children, and to recognize their contributions to the state. Refugees and immigrants offer skills to a needed workforce, provide entrepreneurial innovation and expand worldwide networks – all of which benefit Minnesota.” 

Elmi was released from custody on Monday, with his court hearing scheduled for early October. The judge required Elmi to surrender his passport and remain in Minnesota. Elmi’s alleged counterparts were taken into custody last Friday. 

Over the last year, federal prosecutors have revealed a pattern of systemic fraud in Minnesota, with prosecutors saying the total amount could total $9 billion statewide. Testifying before Congress earlier this year, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz acknowledged that Minnesota’s programs are not immune to fraud but argued that “Minnesota’s programs have overwhelmingly achieved their intended purposes.”