Minneapolis man pleads guilty in $70K Medicaid fraud scheme
A Minneapolis man who ran a multi-year Medicaid fraud scheme pleaded guilty Monday.
Fernando Navarro, 53, said he was providing personal care services to a child in Minnesota. After the child moved to California, Navarro continued to bill the Minnesota Department of Human Services for more than two years for the same services.
Charging documents said he collected nearly $70,000 over those two years.
He was originally charged with four counts of felony fraud, and pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of theft by false representation.
If his plea is accepted, he's expected to be sentenced on Oct. 13 to three years' probation and will be ordered to pay restitution.
Navarro was charged alongside six others in June as part of a series of Medicaid fraud takedowns by the Minnesota Attorney General's Office. When he was charged, the Minnesota Department of Human Services said it had stopped payments to nearly 700 providers since Jan. 1, 2025 based on "credible allegations of fraud."
