Minnesota Medicaid fraudster off probation despite owing $1.7M in restitution
Medicaid fraudster still owes $1.7M in restitution
A recent FOX 9 investigation found that Medicaid fraudsters owe millions but pay back little with several other defendants discharged from probation after making either minimal or no payments towards their court-imposed debts.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A recent FOX 9 investigation found that Medicaid fraudsters owe millions but pay back little, with several other defendants discharged from probation after making either minimal or no payments towards their court-imposed debts.
Medicaid fraudster discharged from probation with unpaid debt
What we know:
Tommie Johnson, Sr., who pleaded guilty in 2023 to stealing Medicaid funds through a sprawling personal care assistance scheme, is no longer on probation.
Court records show Johnson made only minimum payments of $25 to $50 a month over the past three years.
When asked if he could pay more, Johnson told the FOX 9 Investigators, "Not at the moment."
Hennepin County District Court Judge Emily Froehle recently decided not to extend Johnson’s probation, finding he has complied with the terms of his probation by making the minimum payments ordered.
"The record at the time of sentencing reflects that it was unrealistic and not anticipated that [Johnson] would pay the full amount of the joint and some restitution," Froehle wrote in her discharge order.
"Probation should be extended"
The other side:
The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office argued Johnson should have remained on probation until he paid back more of what he stole.
Prosecutors requested Johnson’s probation be extended an additional two years, the maximum allowed under state law.
"Probation should be extended because the defendant had the ability to pay more than the minimum required in the restitution order, and he did not. He was given every chance to be making payments," Assistant Attorney General Kristi Nielsen told the court in May.
The backstory:
Johnson avoided prison after pleading guilty to several fraud-related charges.
According to court transcripts reviewed by the FOX 9 Investigators, the sentencing judge said, "He [Johnson] has a significant amount of restitution that he’s going to need to pay, and the court believes the best way to pay that is if he is out working in the community earning a living to do so."
Instead of imposing a 45-month prison sentence that state prosecutors requested, the judge sent Johnson to the Hennepin County workhouse.
Avoided prison to pay restitution
Dig deeper:
A recent FOX 9 investigation found Medicaid fraudsters owe millions to the state and other victims in restitution but pay back little.
The comprehensive analysis reviewed dozens of convictions from the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit since 2020.
During that time, fraudsters were ordered to repay more than $13.3 million in combined restitution but had paid back less than 18%.
Several of the defendants were discharged from probation despite making few or even no payments.
Related: Medicaid fraudster wants to shield bank account from prosecutors
Big picture view:
The Attorney General’s Office said Johnson is a prime example why the state’s restitution laws need more teeth.
"We will continue to urge courts to use all the tools at their disposal to ensure the fraudsters we convict pay back as much of the money they stole as possible," a spokesperson wrote in a statement to the FOX 9 Investigators.
What's next:
Despite Johnson’s probation ending, the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Department of Revenue may pursue a civil judgment or other actions to try to claw back the money he owes.