Six Minnesotans were charged in connection with the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent nationwide crackdown on health care fraud. That effort, dubbed the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, is the latest federal initiative to combat fraud in America.
According to the DOJ, the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown has resulted in charges being filed against 455 individuals who allegedly participated in schemes that resulted in the submission of $6.5 billion of fraudulent health care claims.
The nationwide crackdown took place over the course of two weeks and led to charges being filed in 45 states. In a press release, the DOJ said the federal government has seized $182 million in assets and 90 doctors were charged as a result of the crackdown.
On Tuesday, the DOJ said the effort “represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud” and involves “a whole-of-government approach.”
As part of the operation, the federal government coordinated with Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs) that are run by state attorneys general across the country. The MFCU placed in the Minnesota attorney general’s office participated in the nationwide fraud takedown.
In a press release, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said six Minnesotans have been charged in connection with the national health care fraud crackdown. All six defendants are being charged in district courts throughout Minnesota.
The six individuals are Tremayne Lamar Jackson, Fernando Navarro, Shawki Elsaid, Ahmed Agwa, Edward Sherrod, and Jessica Wavra. Additionally, Ellison announced that his office has charged Christine Pryor of Fargo, N.D., in connection with the fraud crackdown.
According to the Minnesota attorney general, Jackson has been charged with defrauding the Minnesota Medical Assistance (MA) program of over $125,000. Jackson allegedly claimed to be providing services in Minnesota when he was actually a basketball coach in Kansas.
Navarro was charged with four felonies for allegedly bilking MA of nearly $70,000. The attorney general’s office said the defendant “claimed to provide personal care assistant services in Minnesota to a child for nearly 25 months after the child moved to California.”
Meanwhile, Elsaid, Agwa, and Sherrod were also charged for allegedly claiming to provide personal care assistant services that were never provided. According to the attorney general, Elsaid and Agwa claimed to be providing services when they were out of the country.
Wavra was charged with five theft offenses for allegedly defrauding MA by billing for $29,000 of “adult rehabilitative mental health services (ARMHS) and targeted case management services that she did not provide.”
In Pryor’s case, she allegedly defrauded MA of $150,000. According to the attorney general, Pryor “claimed to provide psychotherapy and alcohol and drug counseling services to Medicaid recipients despite having no license or credentials to do so.”
Six of the seven cases were referred to the Minnesota MFCU by either the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), UCare, or the Crystal Police Department. In Navarro’s case, a private citizen referred Navarro to the Minnesota MFCU.
All seven cases are being prosecuted by the Minnesota MFCU in the attorney general’s office.
“My [MFCU] is one of the best in the nation, and today’s charges demonstrate that we are working hard day in and day out to hold Medicaid fraudsters accountable and recover the tax dollars they stole from hardworking Minnesotans,” Ellison said in a statement.
Tuesday’s seven new fraud cases represent the most recent chapter in the ongoing fraud saga in Minnesota. Last month, federal authorities charged 15 individuals in Minnesota for their alleged role in schemes that targeted $90 million from government programs.
Fraud in Minnesota’s welfare programs has become perhaps the biggest political issue in the state. Last year, the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office estimated that more than $9 billion could have been stolen from 14 state-run, Medicaid-funded programs since 2018.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
