FBI raids Bloomington business that had license suspended for fraud

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - FBI agents raided the offices of a Bloomington business on Thursday, days after the State of Minnesota suspended a business license at that address citing fraud.

FBI raid in Bloomington

What we know:

A FOX 9 crew witnessed FBI agents and other federal investigators carrying boxes from a business in a plaza off 17th Avenue South near Old Shakopee Road East. The business is located in a suite next to a pizza shop, an Asian market, and a laundry mat.

Inside the building, there was damage to a door belonging to Ultimate Home Health Services which appeared to have been forced open.

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The backstory:

A letter dated Dec. 5 shows the Department of Human Services had suspended the license for Ultimate Home Health Services, a home and community-based service, citing the risk of fraud.

"This immediate suspension is based on a determination that persons served by your program are at an imminent risk of harm and because the holder and controlling individual are the subjects of a pending administrative action related to fraud against the program which is administered by a state agency," the letter states.

The letter goes on to say that the state determined clients for the business were not required services, a client who died hadn't been reported, and staff had provided false information to DHS licensors. The letter also states that the license holder is already facing administrative action for fraud against the program.

Big picture view:

A day before the state issued a temporary suspension for Ultimate Home Health Services, the Minnesota Department of Human Services announced it was pausing licensing for home and community-based businesses like Ultimate Home Health Services.

The state pointed to a massive increase in licenses which had outpaced the demand for services. The state said the need for home and community-based services had grown about 25% over the past five years, but active provider licenses grew by roughly 55% and new license applications grew by 283%.