Day care owner accused of scamming state disappears before trial

A woman who was supposed to go on trial this week for allegedly scamming the state out of millions has gone missing.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Yasmin Ali.  Ali is facing numerous counts of theft by swindle and racketeering. She ran Deqo Family Centers, a daycare business, and All Nations Home health Care. Both companies catered to low income families.

The day care company was the focus of a Fox 9 investigation back in 2013. Former employees told the Fox 9 Investigators the business was defrauding millions of dollars in public subsidies.

A year after the Fox 9 investigation, Ali was arrested and charged with bilking the state out of about $4 million.
Ramsey County prosecutors feared Ali was a flight risk, so they requested her bail be set at $1 million.

Ali spent a couple of months in jail before getting a judge to lower her bail to $200,000. She claimed that was all she could afford, and had no plans of going anywhere because she is the mother of six children.

But, at the start of her trial this week, Ali was a no show.

The Ramsey County attorney's office issued a statement saying it had "vigorously opposed the court ordered bail reduction...and is very troubled by her failure to appear for her trial."

Ali's attorney told Fox 9 he's surprised at this development. He too is calling it "unexpected."

He would not say if he has been in contact with Ali.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call the Ramsey County sheriff's office at 651-266-9333.