Man accused of defrauding Housing Stabilization Services program pleads guilty to wire fraud

A man accused of pocketing, along with an alleged co-conspirator, $750,000 meant to help Medicaid recipients find housing pleaded guilty on Thursday.

Hassan Ahmed Hussen pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He operated a business, Pristine Health LLC, out of St. Paul, Minnesota, with an alleged co-conspirator, Ahmed Abdirashid Mohamed, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Authorities say Hussein submitted paperwork to the Minnesota Secretary of State and the Department of Human Services to operate the business as a provider with the state's now-defunct Housing Stabilization Services program.

Hussein submitted false claims and "significantly overrepresented the services they provided," the justice department said.

They worked with other providers to fabricate housing plans and find new beneficiaries whose names Pristine could use to bill Housing Stabilization Services, according to the justice department. 

Hussein, along with Mohamed, claimed to serve 100 different beneficiaries through Pristine, totaling up to $750,000, according to the department.

They used the funds for personal travel, including to London, Sydney, Dubai, Istanbul and Saudi Arabia, the justice department said.

A sentencing date for Hussein has not been scheduled.