Minneapolis man ordered to pay $70K restitution in Medicaid fraud scheme

A Minneapolis man who ran a multi-year Medicaid fraud scheme will avoid prison time, according to court documents.

A judge on Tuesday sentenced Fernando Navarro, 53, to three years of supervised probation and 100 hours of community service. Navarro was also ordered to pay nearly $70,000 in restitution.

Navarro 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.

Navarro was originally charged with four counts of felony fraud, but he pleaded guilty in August to two counts of theft by false representation.

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."