Accused Medicaid fraudster who jumped from balcony to avoid arrest ruled flight risk

One of 15 people charged in connection with alleged Medicaid fraud schemes in Minnesota that officials say pilfered more than $90 million in taxpayer money has been ruled a flight risk.

During an arraignment and detention hearing Wednesday, a judge ordered 32-year-old Muhammad Omar of Roseville, Minnesota, to remain detained as his case progresses.

Omar and a partner, Ibrahim Abdi, are accused of bilking Minnesota's Housing and Stabilization Services program out of $3.2 million, fraudulently claiming the funds were for two healthcare facilities in the Twin Cities. Prosecutors said for four months in 2023, the two billed HSS for providing services to a dead person.  

Omar was spotlighted by federal officials when the charges were announced. The FBI said he jumped from a fourth-story balcony to try to avoid arrest and was detained hours later. Omar was in a wheelchair during Wednesday's hearing, with his attorney saying it's due to a broken leg.   

The attorney asked for Omar to be released on a signature bond with a certain set of conditions, but federal prosecutors say they worried even with a GPS monitor that he'd flee the country, alluding to accusations he used Medicaid dollars to buy property in Kenya.  

He appeared in court last week and was ordered to remain in custody until Wednesday's hearing.

According to federal officials, the $90-million ploy in Omar allegedly participated involved seven different state-managed Medicaid programs. HSS shut down last year amid exploitation by alleged fraudsters.

Since the start of President Trump's second term, his administration has cited fraud to defer hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Medicaid funding to Minnesota.