Medicaid fraudster’s corporate bank account off limits, judge rules

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Hennepin County judge has denied the State of Minnesota's attempt to drain more than $650,000 from a corporate checking account to pay down the massive restitution debt of a convicted Medicaid fraudster.

MN fraudster's bank account ruled off limits

What we know:

Hennepin County District Court Judge Mark Kappelhoff rejected efforts by state prosecutors to seize more than $650,000 from a corporate account belonging to a convicted Medicaid fraudster.

READ MORE: Medicaid fraudster wants to shield bank account from prosecutors

Ahmed Nur pleaded guilty in May 2025 to two counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle in connection with a massive personal care assistant (PCA) fraud scheme that bilked the Medicaid program out of millions of dollars.

Nur was sentenced to 180 days in jail and five years of probation and was ordered to pay back more than $2.3M in joint restitution with his co-defendants.

By the numbers:

To claw back the stolen money, prosecutors from Minnesota’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) in the Attorney General’s Office targeted Nur’s bank accounts.

In Nur’s case, the state successfully secured an order to seize more than $1.2M from Nur's personal bank account.

Prosecutors also wanted to drain another $650,000 from a separate corporate account belonging to AAA A-Z Friendly Languages, a company providing interpreter services where Nur was the sole shareholder and CEO.

Judge Kappelhoff denied that request, ruling that state statute only allows the seizure of funds to pay restitution if the account holder is convicted of a felony. 

He said funds cannot be taken from the corporate account because Nur’s company was never charged or convicted in the fraud scheme.

"Unlike Nur, A-Z was not a named co-defendant in the alleged fraud scheme," wrote Kappelhoff. "Nothing in the record before this Court indicates that A-Z was formed for the purpose of shielding Nur from liability arising from the Medicaid fraud scheme."

Nur's defense attorney, Eric Nelson, declined to comment on the ruling.

Dig deeper:

While not charged, Nur’s company was repeatedly named in separate Medicaid fraud schemes, according to court records reviewed by the FOX 9 Investigators. 

Several of A-Z’s contracted interpreters were eventually charged with billing Medicaid for fraudulent or "phantom" services, including Nasro Takhal, who is currently awaiting sentencing.

In one filing, Nur allegedly told investigators the company only verified interpreter logs about 10% of the time despite claiming tens of thousands of dollars in reimbursements.

In court, Assistant Attorney General Kristi Nielsen insisted Nur was the sole account holder for A-Z and, therefore, the cash should be seized to pay back the Medicaid money Nur was convicted of stealing.

"Every dollar in the Medicaid program is intended to support real care for real people, and every dollar that is stolen through fraud is one less dollar that can be used to provide legitimate care," Nielsen told Kappelhoff during a court hearing earlier this year.

Kappelhoff noted in his recent ruling that A-Z was incorporated in 2003, and he found, based on court records, that it appeared to operate legitimately for approximately 20 years.

What they're saying:

In a statement to the FOX 9 Investigators, a spokesperson for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the office is "disappointed in this outcome," and vowed to continue to prosecute fraud while attempting to "recover every penny possible for taxpayers."

Ellison also argued for giving state prosecutors more power to recover stolen Medicaid funding through restitution.

READ MORE: Medicaid in Minnesota: Fraudsters owe millions but pay back little

"We strongly support legislative changes allowing us to seize funds in the manner we requested here."